


Supernatural 2.0: An alternate timeline

by hannah_smash



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angel Wings, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, John Winchester Being an Asshole, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Prayer, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:26:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27507568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hannah_smash/pseuds/hannah_smash
Summary: What would happen if the boys made some slightly different choices, about who they love, what they do and how they save the world. Most of what happens in canon is in this story but with a few extras and differences.
Relationships: Gabriel/Sam Winchester
Comments: 12
Kudos: 67





	1. Changing Channels

**Author's Note:**

> I have a lot of supernatural related dreams and someone convinced me to write them all down and turn them into a fanfic so here have some of my crazy dreams.

“Gabriel okay? They call me Gabriel.” He said - looking more serious, and all the more terrifying for it, than Sam had ever seen.  
  
“Gabriel? The Archangel?” He had to be sure.  
  
“Guilty.” It felt like someone had punched him in the gut, but he just clenched his jaw. He was learning not to show his heart on his sleeve, but turmoil was clear in his eyes. The final, flimsy threads holding the scrappy remains of his faith snapping under the strain. If even the messenger of God was going out of his way to make you say yes to the devil, what was the point of even trying to fight. Sam could hear Dean’s voice, but it was muffled, like he was under water. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from where the trickster - _no **Gabriel**_ he reminded himself - was stood. The sharp click of his fingers might have made him flinch had he been paying closer attention; he felt the air ripple behind him as Castiel appeared. Faintly hearing his name through the fog clouding his mind, he finally tore his attention away from the archangel and back to what was going on as he felt Dean move next to him, turning to leave the warehouse. His feet felt heavy, as though he were dragging them across the floor towards the door.  
  
“So what, you’re just going to leave me here forever?” Gabriel called after them.  
  
“No, we’re not. Cause we don’t screw with people the way you do,” Dean snarked back at him. Getting louder as his anger at the archangel smouldered, “and for the record, this isn’t about some prize fight between your brothers, or some destiny that can’t be stopped. This is about you being too afraid to stand up to your family.” Dean smashed the fire alarm and flicked the switch for the sprinkler, Sam couldn’t bring himself to look at Gabriel, not confident in his ability to hold his gaze while it felt like his heart was tearing its way out of his chest.  
  
“Don’t say I never did anything for you!” Sam shook his head at Dean’s need to always have the last word, following him out of the warehouse and sliding into the passenger seat of the Impala. He pressed his face against the cool glass of the window and tried to calm his breathing.  
  
“Sammy? You doin’ okay?” Dean glanced over at him.  
  
“Yeah, yeah,” Sam shrugged it off. “Just... processing.” Dean let him stare aimlessly out of the window as they drove back to the motel and he was grateful he wasn’t insisting on talking about it. Sam wouldn’t even know how to explain why this had hit him so hard. It was just another angel in a long list who wasn’t worth their time. But this one hurt more than he cared to admit, even to himself. They dragged themselves back into the room with heavy steps and Dean flopped onto his bed.  
  
“Well that was exhausting.” He complained into his pillow. Cas hesitated in the doorway before shuffling awkwardly into the room. Sam trudged in behind him.  
  
“That’s a fucking understatement.” he scrubbed the heels of his hands against his eyes. “Next time I have the genius idea of recruiting someone please remind me that I once tried to recruit a fucking Archangel.” Dean snorted loudly from where he lay, turning his head to look over at them both.  
  
“Yeah Sammy aren’t you supposed to be the smart one?”  
  
“It was not your fault Sam. You were not to know it was my brother. In heaven we had believed him to be long dead. He has not been seen for millennia.” Castiel tried to reassure him.  
  
“Thanks Cas,” he tried to give him a small smile, but even he could feel it was more of a grimace.  
  
“You know what would fix this little funk you’re in?” Dean asked.  
  
“Pie?”  
  
“Yes Sammy, pie!” with a burst of energy from seemingly nowhere Dean pulled himself up off the bed. “I’m going for pie.”  
  
“I will accompany you.” Castiel announced, standing close to Dean’s side.  
  
“Personal space Cas.”  
  
“You will forgive if I am wary to allow you to wander far from my protection.” He stated. Dean rolled his eyes at Sam but flung his arm over Castiel’s shoulder.  
  
“Come on then, pie.”  
  
“Bring me some fruit!” Sam shouted at his back.  
  
“Eat some damn pie Sammy!” an eye roll and a well-aimed pair of socks to his head had Dean conceding, “and some fruit.” Sam lay back, spread his arms and let his tiredness carry him away.

****

Castiel kept glancing over at Dean whilst he was driving. Being used to the intensity of his staring was one thing, but the frequency of his glances had was making the hair on the back of Dean’s neck stand on end. The itch to reach over and check he was real was what Castiel was battling with. It had taken days for him to find the Winchester’s when they had vanished after saying they were trying to recruit a trickster. He should have gotten there quicker, should have known that it would have been far more difficult than they seemed to think. Their luck was never that favourable. But with his grace starting to dwindle it had been harder than he expected trying to find his friends.  
  
“Cas, you okay?” Dean asked.  
  
“Yes, of course. Why do you ask?” He answered stiffly.  
  
“Because I parked the car like 5 minutes ago. And this is third time I’ve asked but only the first you’ve answered.” Dean laughed.  
  
“Oh.” Castiel looked out of the window at the convenience store they’d stopped at. “I was merely thinking about how Gabriel had outsmarted me.”  
  
“Eurgh, that Asshat.” Dean waved off his concern. “Don’t worry about him, we’ve dealt with bigger problems. If we never see him again it’ll be too soon. Come on, pie’s calling my name.” After wandering through the store aimlessly throwing food into the basket and remembering to grab some fruit for Sam, it felt almost domestic paying for groceries and climbing back into the impala. And if Cas had lingered a little closer to Dean around the store nobody mentioned it. Castiel resumed his watching over Dean all the way back to the motel. He wouldn’t let his friend down again.

They walked back into the motel to see Sam dozing on the bed nearest the door. Dean grinned as he took an apple out of the bag and launched it at Sam’s stomach. He sat bolt upright and glared at him, his hair sticking up in odd directions.  
  
“What the hell man?” he grumbled, his voice rough with sleep.  
  
“You need to eat something, and look at all the nice fruit I got you.”  
  
“Thanks,” Sam mumbled, rubbing his tired eyes.  
  
“Also payback, bitch.”  
  
“Jerk.”

****

“I need to get out of this room.” Sam said, standing suddenly, nearly toppling the table over in his haste to move.  
  
“Sammy we’re clearing out of here first thing.” Dean replied, confusion covering his features at his sudden outburst.  
  
“Yeah, I’m just gonna’ go get some air. Just need a walk or something,” He distractedly grabbed his jacket, stuffing his arms into it as he rushed out of the door, blindly turning left and letting his feet carry him wherever. He put his hands in his pockets, staring at the floor and storming forward, not caring where he ended up. Down one street. Then another. He wanted to get as far away from the room that felt like it was closing in on him. The dark walls closing in and triggering a fit of claustrophobia he had not felt in years. He snorted. The last time he felt like this had been Broward County Mystery Spot. The helplessness of not know how to stop Dean dying over and over. It seemed fitting that it was the trickster – _Gabriel,_ his treacherous mind corrected – that had this effect on his phobias. Finally looking up from the ground, Sam found himself in front of the warehouse that was the centre of his whirling thoughts.  
  
“Fucks sake,” he kicked a stone across the ground and leant heavily against the wall. He dragged a hand over his face and looked to the sky. The twinkling stars peeking through the clouds did little to calm his frayed nerves. Especially when he felt more than heard the tell-tale ruffle of feathers that told him he wasn’t alone. Without even glancing over he closed his eyes and sighed loudly.  
  
“What do you want Asshat?” he huffed.  
  
“How’d you know it was me?”  
  
“You really think Cas is going to detach himself from Dean’s side anytime in the near future, not a chance. And who else would it be, Enochian on our ribs won’t let another angel find us and as unlucky as I am that would be a ridiculously massive ‘Fuck You’ from the universe if someone else did find me.” Sam kept his eyes closed, couldn’t bring himself to look at the Archangel.  
  
“You came back here, bit dangerous isn’t it, kicking stones at an Archangel you stuck in a holy fire ring not 12 hours ago.” Sam did look over now, Gabriel was leaning one shoulder against the wall a few feet away, twirling a lolly between his fingers before putting it in his mouth.  
  
“I didn’t mean to come back here,” he sighed. “I just kept walking and ended up here. I couldn’t stay in that motel room for another minute or else I was going to scream.”  
  
“Why?” And wasn’t that the million-dollar question. Sam had no idea what had thrown him so much about the day. Well that wasn’t strictly true.  
  
“Been a long day.” He decided that was a safe enough answer.  
  
“Bullshit.” His eyes snapped to meet the Archangels stare; the eyes burned gold with intensity as he met them. “If that were it, you’d sleep it off and skip along to the next town. I’ve upset you.” The bark of laughter that ripped itself from Sam’s chest was not in the least bit friendly.  
  
“Wouldn’t be the first time.” He glared. “You did just tell me to say yes to your sadistic brother, let him ‘ride my ass to prom’ isn’t that what you said?”  
  
“Plenty of Angels have told you that, why have I upset you by saying it?” Gabriel stepped closer, Sam rolled his eyes and looked away. “No seriously Sasquatch, you’re not just upset because I said it. You’re upset that _I_ said it.” He reached out and grabbed Sam’s arm, flinching back with a hiss. “What was that?”  
  
“Nothing.” Sam was kicking a small hole in the floor now, refusing to look up. Anyone else could mistake the phrase and body language for nonchalance. But Gabriel wasn’t anyone else, he noted the stiff line of his shoulders, how he’d brought his arms around his mid-section as though he was protecting himself or bracing for a hit. Or maybe just comforting his frazzled mind.  
  
“Sam…” he let some of his true voice bleed through, turning his name into a command. Sam sighed and if his eyes were welling up Gabriel pretended not to notice.  
  
“Mom always used to tell Dean that angels were watching over him as he slept,” Sam started, he didn’t know why he was telling the Archangel this story. “One of his memories of her. I don’t have any. But what I did have was a prayer card. God knows why it was in the car the night of the fire. She’d written on it, the day I was born, my name and I kept it my whole life. When I went to Stanford, I took it with me, and when Jess went to get a tattoo, I went with her. And there was this symbol on the prayer card. And I don’t know why but it just felt right, I felt like I needed something on my body to remind me of her, just in case I ever lost the card.”  
  
“What was the prayer?” He knew, or could make a pretty good guess, but he needed to hear it.  
  
“The prayer for Saint Gabriel the Archangel.” Sam near whispered, embarrassment creeping up his neck and turning his ears pink.  
  
“Can I see?” The question was soft, and Gabriel’s eyes burned like the colour of the setting sun, but Sam couldn’t find it in himself to look away. He slid his jacket off his shoulders and rolled his shirt sleeve up past his elbow to show the dark black lines of the tattoo hidden on the inside of his bicep. Gabriel felt like the wind had been knocked out of his lungs, had he needed to breathe he would have choked. There on Sam _fucking_ Winchester’s arm was his symbol. Gabriel’s horn.  
  
“Can I…?” he reached towards him hesitantly. Sam conceded with a shrug. A shiver trickled down his spine as his fingers ghosted over the symbol he hadn’t seen in literal centuries. _Fuck._ He wondered at the power in a simple sigil.  
  
“Say my name Sam.” he whispered.

“What?” the hunter replied, confused.  
  
“Touch the symbol, and say my name.” He maintained eye contact, keeping them locked inside this little bubble they’d created. Sam’s entire body was stock still, his fingers brushing against Gabriel’s as he touched the symbol and murmured almost reverently, “ _Gabriel.”_  
  
The effect was instantaneous, Gabriel’s eyes flared gold and all six of his wings stretched out from his back. Bigger and more ferocious than Sam could have ever imagined. He knew now why they were known as God’s fiercest warriors.  
  
“You’ve got a direct prayer line to me there kiddo, etched into your skin,” he explained running his hand over the sigil, pulling the sleeve down for him. “Anywhere you call me from, I’ll hear it.”  
  
“I’m sorry,” Sam said, shocking Gabriel.  
  
“Shouldn’t I be the one apologising?”  
  
“I know how much power there is symbols, I shouldn’t have been so flippant to have this branded onto me.”  
  
“You’re fine Sasquatch, it just means that Enochian Cassie carved into your ribs is null and void when it comes to me. That little symbol there is a beacon to me. Might be a good thing, I can stop you getting into trouble.”  
  
“I thought you wanted me to get into a shitload more trouble.”  
  
“Maybe I’m re-evaluating,” Gabriel stepped away. Sam let out a breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding.  
  
“What does that mean?” he demanded, his head starting to clear of the fog that had descended on him as Gabriel invaded his space. Gabriel threw a wink and a grin over his shoulder.  
  
“That’s for me to know and you to find out Sam-a-lam, bye,” With a small wave and a click of his fingers Sam found himself stood directly outside the motel room door. His head brimming with more questions than he’d had when he started his walk but his chest feeling a lot lighter and his claustrophobia mercifully absent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. If anyone arty wants to draw the scene where Gabriel unleashes his wings please send it to me because it think it would look cool and I cannot draw :)


	2. Abandon All Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our boys deal with the aftermath of what happened in Carthage.

_“We’ve just received an update that the governor has declared a state of emergency for the county, including the town of Carthage. The storm system has reportedly touched off a number of tornadoes in the area. Death tolls have yet to be estimated but state officials have said the loss of life and property will be staggering...”_

They tuned out the sounds of the television in the background, four pairs of eyes roving over the picture in Bobby’s hands. Dean could practically hear his heart pounding in his ears as he froze on Jo’s face. He remembered the first time she had hunted with them, how much he had wanted to protect her, send her home to her Mom and tell her to stay there. How much he wished now that he’d done that. She didn’t deserve to die like that, ripped apart and terrified. He swallowed around the lump in his throat, determined not to cry as Bobby dropped the picture into the flames. He subconsciously registered Sam stumbling out of the door behind him, probably sneaking off to find a quiet spot to cry in private.  
  
Dean turned away, planning on taking himself upstairs to one of the bedrooms with a bottle of whiskey to drink away into oblivion and rage silently against a world that would do this. The urge to scream at the unfairness was one he was used to supressing, John’s voice ringing clearly in his head.  
  
“Life’s unfair boy, it’s about time you got a handle on that.” Shaking his head slightly to rid himself of the spectre his eyes landed on Cas. Standing by the window, staring at the upturned shot glasses still on the table from the night before. He watched as Cas reached out a hand to touch one and even from this distance, he could see the angels hand tremble. So unlike the stoic mask he was so used to seeing on the angel it threw Dean for a moment. Slowly, as not to spook him, Dean walked over to Cas, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.  
  
“Cas?” He wasn’t sure what he was asking, but seeing the angel look so despondent was starting to scare him.  
  
“I…” Cas’ voice was rougher than he’d ever heard. “I should have been able to heal her. I should have been there.”  
  
“That wasn’t your fault Cas.” Dean shook his head. “That bastard trapped you in a ring of holy fire. He could have killed you.” Castiel shook his head, his hands still shaking. _I still would not have been able to help them_ – his brain reminded him, he could not tell Dean. How far had he fallen now? How much grace did he have left? How long before he was human?  
  
If Dean didn’t know better, he’d say Cas was having a panic attack. He didn’t seem to be aware that he was still shaking his head back and forth, his hands curling into fists at his sides but that did nothing to stop the full body tremors wracking through him. In a snap decision that he hoped nobody questioned him on later, he grabbed the lapels of Castiel’s trench coat, pulling him into a hug of manly concern. Tightly wrapping his arms around the shorter man and repeatedly telling him that this wasn’t his fault, there was nothing he could have done. It took a few minutes for Castiel to register what was happening before he slowly brought his arms up around Dean’s back to return the embrace. It said what he couldn’t find the words to say in that moment _. Thank you_ and _I’m sorry_ all mixed up with _I’m so glad you’re both safe_.

****

All of a sudden his eyes were brimming with tears and no matter how hard he rubbed at them they didn’t seem to stop. He stumbled between two rows of cars and leaned heavily against them, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he sobbed. He held his arms tight around his stomach as he slid to the floor. It had all been for nothing. All of it. Meant. Nothing. He didn’t even hear the tell-tale rustle of feathers that told him he wasn’t alone.  
  
“Well Sam I wasn’t expecting your prayer so soon and to be honest I was just about to seal the deal with a total babe so I hope whatever it is was serious enough to...” Gabriel trailed off as he took in the sight before him, Sam looked as though he was trying to curl in on himself to make him seem smaller.  
  
“Sam?!” His voice was immediately tinged with worry as he dropped to his knees in front of him, his hands busy pushing Sam’s hair out of his eyes. His fingers brushing the tears from his face leaving warmth across his cheeks. “Sammy talk to me what happened?! Where’s Dean? Cassie?” As he spoke he sent out tendrils of his grace, reassuring himself when he sensed Dean and Castiel in the house nearby. Sam made a sound like he was choking on air.  
  
“Sam you need to breathe or you’re going to pass out,” Gabriel calmed his voice even as his thoughts were whirling. Taking Sam’s hands and detaching their vice like grips on his arms as he caged himself in, placing them on Gabriel’s shoulders. “I need you to copy me, breathe in.” Sam was trying to copy as he felt Gabriel’s shoulders move under his hands. “Good boy, now out.” They continued this a few more times until Sam’s eyes lost their wild lost look and his breathing slowed. He hiccoughed as he tried to speak, stumbling over his words in his haste.  
  
“We got the colt back, some demon, Crowley? Something. I can’t remember. I don’t... we took it to Carthage. We thought it would work. We thought it killed anything. Or nearly, I can’t... but they died Gabriel, they died. And there was nothing we could do. But then it didn’t even work, he just stood up like it was nothing. And he said six months, six months and I’ll say yes in Detroit. I don’t even like Detroit. But they died for nothing because it didn’t even work!” Sam was struggling to get the story out in the right order, he wasn’t sure it was even making sense. He’d lost control of his mouth. But he could feel Gabriel go still under his hands. Scared at what he might find, he cautiously raised his gaze to meet the Archangel’s. Gabriel’s face was blank but his eyes burned gold as he stared at Sam, and Sam was transfixed. Held in his gaze and unable to look away.  
  
“Lucifer.” Gabriel whispered, but the intensity in his tone wasn’t lost by the lack of volume. Sam couldn’t help the flinch at hearing that name. “Sam please tell me you didn’t go chasing after my brother with half a hope and a gun? Please tell me you aren’t that **monumentally** stupid?”  
  
“I…” Sam couldn’t find his words. Couldn’t get past the choking fear in his throat as he looked at Gabriel, fierce and strong and infinitely more powerful than Sam could comprehend. “I had to try.” He barely managed to whimper. Gabriel shook his head, clearing the intense stare he had focused on the hunter. His golden eyes roving over Sam’s face with concern and he made an effort to project warmth towards him with his grace.   
  
“I’m sorry, you just scared me.” He explained. He slowly brought his hands up to cup Sam’s face, pressing their foreheads together and closing his eyes. “Promise me you won’t go running after him like that, promise me you’ll run any stupid ideas by me next time. Promise me Sam!”  
  
“Okay, okay, I promise!” Sam assured him.   
  
“Why didn’t you ask me about the Colt?” Gabriel asked, leaning back on his haunches. “I could’ve told you it wouldn’t work on him.”  
  
“I didn’t even think,” Sam shook his head. “It all kinda happened so fast. I didn’t think.”   
  
“What happened in Carthage Sam?” he asked gently.  
  
“Jo and Ellen,” Sam explained, his voice rough from crying. “A hellhound nearly ripped Jo apart, they stayed behind to blow up the others. _Fuck_ Gabriel they both died. All for nothing. It was a stupid idea and now they’re both dead because of it.”  
  
“Sam,” Gabriel sat beside him, leaning against the car and sliding an arm over his shoulders. “It’s not your fault.”   
  
“I let Lucifer out.” Sam argued. “Anything after that point is definitely, one hundred percent, my fault.”  
  
“Sammy,” Gabriel sighed. “You and your brother have been manipulated since before you were born. By Heaven **and** Hell. You cannot keep blaming yourself. I won’t let you.”  
  
Sam leaned into the warmth that seemed to be exuding from Gabriel. “You won’t let me?”  
  
“Nope.”  
  
“And how exactly are you going to stop me?”  
  
“I’ll do a thing.”  
  
“A thing?”  
  
“Yes, a very clever thing. Now shut up and stop asking about it.” Sam huffed out a laugh as Gabriel’s arm started running up and down his back, taking the comfort that was being offered. Closing his eyes and forgetting about the trauma of the day. If Gabriel pushed a small piece of his grace into Sam and let him drift into a dreamless sleep against his side well, nobody needed to know. Nobody was there to see the golden wings curled around them keeping the chill of the night air away from them both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sunday is going to be new update day, so happy Sunday! Hope you like it :)


	3. Swap Meat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy update day everyone!

Sam was not having a good day. Not in the slightest. For a second when he woke up he had forgotten being tranquilized and waking up in a teenagers body, just for a second of course. Once he had opened his eyes and looked around it all came flooding back. He looked around the room to see if there was any sort of clue to explain what had happened the previous night. He used the kid’s phone to ring Dean, rolling his eyes when it went straight to voicemail.   
  
“…I think I’m in the wrong body. Ha ha. Could use a little help here, I think I have asthma?” he didn’t feel like laughing but if he thought for too long on it he might cry. Next, he rang the motel and asked to be connected to their room.  
  
“Sorry, those guys checked out in the middle of the night.” Sam frowned.  
  
“Wait, guys? Plural?”  
  
“Yeah, one leather jacket, one sasquatch.” Sam rolled his eyes at the nickname, but it gave him an idea. He reached for the sigil on his arm before realising it wasn’t there. _Wrong body!_ he thought to himself. Oh well, he’d just have to do this the old-fashioned way.   
  
“Oh blessed Archangel Gabriel…” he trailed off. He felt stupid praying like that, Gabriel was his friend, sort of? Acquaintance? Could you be an acquaintance with an Archangel? Colleague? That made it sound like they worked for the same boring accounting firm. Friend then, at least from Sam’s perspective. “Gabriel. I don’t know if I should be praying to you about this. It’s not strictly an emergency per se. To be honest you’d probably find this absolutely hilarious it’s right up your street. I think I’m in the wrong body? I’m stuck inside a teenager. That sounds so wrong, I mean like a full on, freaky Friday situation. If you could help I’d be grateful.” Sam looked around, waiting with baited breath for the tell-tale rustle of wings, but nothing. He huffed out a breath. _You’re on your own Sammy, you can do this._ First job, find out where – and who – he was. He rooted through the books on the shelf, finding the kids school folders.  
  
“Smart kid,” he shrugged, moving to the closet. He looked through his close, scrunching his nose at the Star Wars t-shirt. “Virgin.” Pulling out boxes from under the bed he came across the kids stash of skin mags. “Frustrated virgin.” But what else was hidden in the box caught his attention. The knife, and the fabric with the pentagram, _fucking witches._  
  
“Witchcraft Gary? You little satanic bastard…”  
  
“Gary, breakfast!”   
  
Well shit.  
  
Sam wasn’t great at pretending to be Gary. After almost starting a fight over ‘the plan’ and asking some awkward questions – he definitely wasn’t fooling Sydney – his Mom seemed pretty oblivious ‘knack for languages’ his ass. And the freak couldn’t eat bread like a normal person. After emptying the contents of his stomach and getting the location of the mystery spell book from Sydney he was taking himself back to high school. Sigh.  
  
  
 _Gabriel it would be great if you could seriously, kill me, now. Thanks._

“Dean, someone has stolen my body.” He tried Dean’s number again, desperate to get this sorted. **Now.** “The guy next to you is not me. Check your friggin’ voicemail. Damnit!”  
  
“Oh no Gary,” He said, pulling the damn book out of his locker. “This is a very, very bad book.” He shoved it under his arm and tried to leave the school as quickly as possible. Unfortunately for Sam however, he had the worst luck in the universe.  
  
Gary’s friends were creepy, and useless and why were they following him? God he just needed five minutes with the book to work out what spell he’d used and… ah shit. Tranquilizer.

****

Something was wrong with Sam. Well more so than usual. Dean was used to him getting psyched over doing research, that was just Sam’s thing, but he was practically dancing with glee talking about Maggie Briggs and what info he’d dug up on her. And then telling him to turn the music up was definitely not a Sam move. And then it was like he couldn’t even remember basic lore about witches’ graves. AND THEN HE ORDERED A CHEESEBURGER.  
  
“Okay, who are you, and what have you done with Sam?” he asked, only half joking.  
  
“What do you mean?” Sam looked awkward and definitely like he was hiding something.  
  
“Bacon cheeseburgers now?” Dean couldn’t remember the last time Sam had ordered a cheeseburger.  
  
“I don’t know, I eat them. Don’t I?” That deer in the headlights look wasn’t convincing Dean at all by this point. Should he call Cas? Would he be annoyed being disturbed when he was looking for God just because Sam was acting strange?  
  
But when Sam started talking about ‘the big plan’ and how nice it was to just ‘do some ass-kicking for a change’ Dean realised that they never did this. Just sat and had a beer as brothers. Maybe that’s why Sam seemed a little off? But if Sam was saying that Dean was a good guy – he sure as hell wasn’t about to question it. Well he wouldn’t have, until Sam turned to tell him – loudly – that he was about to “do it.” No, there was definitely something wrong with Sam.

****

It said a lot that Sam knew he was bound before he even opened his eyes. The ropes binding his arms to his sides and around a post if he had to make a guess. He wasn’t exactly sure what they’d shot him with but it was still making his head foggy, and opening his eyes set a faint pounding rhythm off in his head. As he raised his head and looked around he could see that he was in a basement, and Gary’s creepy friends from earlier were there.  
  
“Hey, what’s going on?” He asked gruffly.  
  
“You can scream all you want, no one can hear you. My parents are out of town!” the obnoxious one said, raising his voice and lifting a phone to his ear. Sam could only hear one side of the conversation, but he strained to hear more when Dean’s name was mentioned.  
  
“You haven’t killed him yet?”  
  
“Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean? Kill Dean?” anxiety had sunk its claws into Sam’s brain and it was only years of practice that stopped it from blossoming into full panic. He tried to listen to the rest of the conversation but he couldn’t make much sense out of it. “What the hell is going on here? How do you know Dean?”  
  
“Everyone knows Dean. He’s hell’s most wanted.” The obnoxious one, T something? Trent? Tristan? said.  
  
“Oh no,” Sam breathed. “Have you idiots been talking to demons? You’re just kids, you have no idea what you’re messing with.”  
  
“Well we know there’s a price on Dean’s head and we’re the ones that’re gonna collect.”   
  
“What?” Sam asked. Thankfully the other one, the less gratingly irritating one - Nora, started to explain. Something to do with using the book, Gary going into a trance and drawing a scarily accurate picture of Dean. The obnoxious one tried to interrupt a couple of times but with a “Don’t be a loser Trev.” “Yeah Trev.” he seemed to quieten down. For the moment. There was a bounty on Dean’s head. Not good.  
  
“You are crossing a line you won’t come back from, believe me.” He tried to reason with them both. Nora seemed to be listening. Trev, on the other hand, arrogant little shit that he was, decided to summon a demon. Sam leaned his head back against the post and threw out one last desperate prayer.  
  
 _Gabriel, I don’t wanna sound desperate or anything here. But they’re summoning a demon and they’ve got me tied to a post. Honestly, not much I can do at this point. Could really use your help. Please?  
  
_ Looking back at Trevor he tried again to reason with him, “You’re going to get us all killed!” And of course, now Nora was possessed. Brilliant.  
  
“Sam? Is that you in there?” She laughed. “Well aren’t you just 98lbs of nothing. So, if Sam’s in this body, who’s in Sam’s?” Sam knew better than to hope for Trevor to say anything that wasn’t completely idiotic by this point. He just hoped Dean had finally clocked onto the fact that it wasn’t Sam he was with.

****

Dean watched as “Sam” snuck into the room. He knew it wasn’t his brother, he’d raised Sam, been his mother and his father. He knew him inside out. Some strange behaviour would have been fine, heaven knew they were both under enough stress at the moment, but Sam was completely out of character. And, well, when he reached for the gun and pointed it at “Dean’s” prone body on the bed, he wasn’t even holding the damn thing properly. Dean gave him a solid right hook to the face and grabbed him by the scruff of his collar.  
  
“You’re not Sam. Who the hell are you?” he demanded. When whoever it was wouldn’t talk, he tied them up and checked his voicemails. All 38 of them – sheesh. He knew he was gonna hear about it from Sammy later. Turning his most threatening look on not-Sam it barely took one suggestion of torture before this guy was spilling his guts so fast that Dean nearly missed it…  
  
“Wait, parents?” he asked. “How old are you?”  
  
“S-seventeen.” the kid (seriously why was he getting mixed up in this) said. _Haha_ , Sammy was stuck in a shy, awkward teenager. He was never going to let him live this down. Suddenly, Dean was flung against the wall, heard the demon trying to convince the kid to say yes to Satan. Luckily though, the kid seemed to have some sense, helping him to exorcise the demon. Now… to get Sam back into his body. And to threaten these kids into never, ever touching this shit ever again.

****

“About damn time, I thought he’d never go to sleep.” Gabriel announced as he appeared at the foot of Sam’s bed.  
  
“Jesus Christ!” Sam whisper shouted, his hand clutching at his chest just over his heart. “You nearly gave me a heart attack Gabe!”  
  
“Uhm, wrong celestial being of unlimited power, thank you. And, by the way, I am literally as old as the universe and you’re gonna give me a lame nickname like Gabe?” Sam flushed to his hairline, he hadn’t realised he’d done that.  
  
“So it’s okay for you to call me Sasquatch and who knows what else, but I can’t shorten **your actual name**?” he brushed off his embarrassment.  
  
“You got it in one Sam-a-lam.” Gabriel grinned, snapping himself a chocolate bar and offering half to Sam, who shook his head.  
  
“Were you waiting for Dean to fall asleep?” he queried.  
  
“Well, duh.” he flopped on the bed next to Sam. “I assumed you hadn’t told him we’d been talking, and I wanted you to tell me what the fuck has been going on because I’ll be honest Sammy, I am confused. I heard you pray a couple times but when I got here it wasn’t you in your body and whoever was kept fucking stroking that damn symbol. I kept getting pulled back here. Invisible obviously – I don’t have a death wish.” Sam liked it when Gabriel got animated explaining himself. He ran a hand over his face and huffed out a small laugh.  
  
“Basically this 17 year old kid body snatched me,” he explained. “Tried to collect hell’s bounty on Dean’s head. It wasn’t all that bad, Dean and the kid ended up exorcising the demon and only ended up with one dead. The guy was only a kid though. I swear they’re getting younger and younger buying into this satanism bullshit.”  
  
“Did you actually want me to kill you though?” Gabriel laughed.  
  
“Oh you heard that one? That one got through to you?” Sam raised an eyebrow. “I was a teenager Gabriel! In high school. With hormones and cliques and absolutely zero upper body strength. They tranq’d me. Twice! Tied me to a damn post, they didn’t even do a good job of it, if I hadn’t been stuck in the body of a scrawny kid it really would have been over so much quicker. Kids man, they’re so damn annoying!”  
  
“Oh my Dad,” tears were streaming down Gabriel’s face. A soft snore from the other bed reminded them they weren’t alone and Gabriel put a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter. “Only you could be in the middle of a demon fight and be more annoyed by the kids!” he whispered. Sam’s smile broke slowly across his face, until it reached his eyes, he liked being able to make the Archangel laugh. Gabriel put one hand on Sam’s shoulder as he wiped the tears from his face with the other. Sam grimaced as he straightened his back.   
  
“You okay Sam-a-lam?” Gabriel asked.   
  
“Yeah,” he answered. “No idea what the kid did while he was running round as me but I am bruised up in the most random places.” Gabriel smiled, a real genuine smile, and Sam felt like he was missing something. Something important. He felt the warmth of Gabriel’s grace spreading from where his hand rested between his shoulder blades. All the aches that he felt deep in his muscles just faded away. In the dark of the motel room, Sam was transfixed in the gold of Gabriel’s eyes. He wasn’t sure if it was the body switch, the strain of the magic on his soul or the near death experience that always came with hunting demons but he found himself leaning in towards Gabriel. It looked like Gabriel was stuck in this weird spell too, his eyes glancing down at Sam’s lips giving about half a second for both of them to realise what was about to happen. As far as kisses went, it was hardly the most passionate Sam had experienced. It was sweet, chaste even, but the electricity Sam felt tremor through his body at the contact had him shivering. Before his brain had chance to analyse anything Gabriel had pulled away and was looking at him – eyes wide with horror.   
  
“I should not have done that.” and with a ruffle of wings he was gone.  
  
“Fuck.”


	4. The Song Remains the Same

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy update day!!

“Gabriel, I don’t know if you’re listening or if you’ve just fully taken to ignoring me now. But if you can hear me, just come back? You can’t just kiss me like that and vanish - it’s not fair. Look if you wanna pretend it didn’t happen then… fine, I can do that. Um, could you at least let me know though so I’m not sat here worrying about it. Not like there’s not enough to worry about anyway, yeah? I mean it’s up to you, but…”   
  
Gabriel frowned as the prayer cut off. It wasn’t like Sam not to finish the point he was making. When he reached for the link from the prayer he couldn’t feel the other end. His beacon was gone.  
  
“Damnit Sasquatch, what have you done now.” he groaned to himself.

****

“I think we should talk to Gabriel.” Sam said, he’d been pacing and wringing his hands ever since they’d returned from 1978.  
  
“That asshat?!” Dean almost shouted. “Have we not had enough of Archangels today? What the hell Sammy. He wants us to say yes to them both, why would we talk to him?”  
  
“Look Dean, don’t get pissed alright?” Sam held his hands out as if talking down some sort of angry lion. “I’ve spoken to him a couple of times since TV land and I don’t think he’s playing that angle anymore. If Michael is coming for you it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get a better idea of what the guy’s like.”  
  
“You’ve been talking to that dick with wings behind my back?” Dean’s voice had taken on that dangerous low tone, and his stare promised murder if he wasn’t happy with Sam’s answer. “Did you learn nothing after what happened with Ruby?!”  
  
“It’s not like that Dean!” Sam insisted. “It’s not like I’m trusting him - he’s not even told me to do anything! But he’s an Archangel, he’s incredibly powerful and I think it’s stupid not to talk to him when he could help!”  
  
“Look, I’m not happy about it. I’m not. And I’m real pissed that you haven’t told me about it. But fine, you wanna talk to the guy that killed me 100 times, you go ahead.” Sam flinched at the memory that comment had dragged up, but took small comfort in the fact that Dean hadn’t stomped right out of the room. Trying to be subtle, Sam crossed his arms, pressing two fingers against the sigil on his arm which he still hadn’t told Dean about.  
  
“Uh, Gabriel?... it’s me, um Sam. Winchester? I told Dean I’ve been talking to you and can you come talk to us maybe? We met your brother today and well, some stuff happened and we’d be grateful (Dean rolled his eyes) if you’d give us some insight? Please.”  
  
“Well that’s gotta be one of the weirdest prayers I’ve ever gotten.” They both turned so fast it was a wonder they didn’t get whiplash. Gabriel was reclining on Deans bed, hands behind his head and feet crossed. “What can I do for you Sam-a-lam?”  
  
“Woah woah woah, hold your horses,” Dean held up a hand to pause the Archangel. “Before he says anything, I wanna know you’re not just gonna ship us off to your douchebag brothers.”  
  
“Hi Dean, nice to see you too, yeah I’m fine seeing as you didn’t ask,” Gabriel rolled his eyes and focused on the older brother. “What would be the point in that? I’m trying to avoid being found, and maybe I’m a little bit fonder of you than I let on.”  
  
“Us?” Dean asked. _Or Sam._ His brain supplied.  
  
“Humans,” Gabriel replied, but Dean caught the slight upturn of his mouth, as though he was holding onto his own little private joke.  
  
“We ran into one of your brothers,” Sam said, sitting heavily on the other bed, cutting off the conversation before they could start throwing insults at each other.  
  
“I’ve got millions Sasquatch, you’ll have to be more specific.” He wouldn’t meet Sam’s eyes and it stung.  
  
“Michael.” That got his attention. Suddenly Gabriel sat upright and looked straight at him.  
  
“Where did you see him? Still got that ridiculous stick up his ass?” He asked.  
  
“More like when did we see him,” Dean huffed. “We’ve been in 1978.”  
  
“Why?” Gabriel asked, looking the brothers over.  
  
“Anna wanted to kill our parents, to stop us being born.” Sam explained, fidgeting with the edge of his shirt.  
  
“Little fallen Anna, that was bold of her.” Gabriel muttered. “I take it that didn’t work out for her? Seeing as you’re both still, y’know, here.”  
  
“Michael possessed our dad and killed her,” Dean said. “Before giving me the sales pitch. Doesn’t believe in free will apparently.” Gabriel snorted.  
  
“Sounds about right,” he chuckled but there was no humour in it. “Always a stickler for the rules that one. Should have seen him trying to teach me and Raph how to fly, it was never any fun. _‘Gabriel keep your wings straight, focus on your destination. You’ll have to work on your form. Why are you upside down Gabriel?’_ ” He looked Sam over again, his eyes narrowing as he focused on his soul. “There’s something you’re not telling me.” Sam shrank under his gaze, now he was the one unable to make eye contact.  
  
“Anna killed him.” Dean was watching Gabriel closely, he didn’t like this sudden interest he had taken in his baby brother.  
  
“You died?!” Gabriel exploded suddenly, getting to his feet and grabbing Sam’s shoulders as if to reassure himself he was there. “What the fuck Sammich? You should’ve led with that! Why didn’t you pray to me?”  
  
“I’m pretty sure if I prayed to 1978 you that would have raised a shit ton of questions.” Sam shrugged one shoulder. “It’s fine, Michael brought me back.”  
  
“Yeah that’s why your soul looks like its bouncing around in your meat suit,” Gabriel rolled his eyes and tapped two fingers to Sam’s forehead. The headache that had been brewing behind his eyelids faded and he felt less agitated than before. “I’m taking you two danger magnets somewhere safe.” With a snap of his fingers the motel room faded around them and they were stood in a clearing in the woods in front of a small cabin.

****

  
  
“This is kinda like a safe house, just for a couple of days, keep you both hidden.” Gabriel said, walking up the stairs of the porch and raising his hand to knock  
  
A loud crash drew all their attention and they froze, trying to listen to what was going on inside.  
  
“Safe house?” Dean murmured disbelievingly.  
  
“You’re a waste of fucking oxygen you moronic creep! How many women exactly have you been banging?” The loud sound of something heavy being launched at the door muffled some of what was being shouted.  
  
“You’re one to talk you lying, conniving whore!”  
  
“Oh wow, that’s rich! Is there anyone you haven’t fucked?”  
  
The door of the cabin swung open and they rushed to get out of the way of a man storming out past them, slinging a heavy bag over his shoulder. He stomped his way down the steps and across the crinkling leaves on the ground before turning and shouting back, “well maybe if you weren’t such a stuck up bitch I wouldn’t have to spend all my time elsewhere!”  
  
A woman appeared in the doorway, “What. The actual FUCK. IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?! You’re blaming this on me you pathetic COCKROACH!” She launched something at the man, hearing it smash at his feet.  
  
“Oh please! You’ve got enough fucking secrets to write an entire book! I bet all your needs are met wherever it is you sneak off to! Hey look, here’s even more strange men at the door!”  
  
“You’d better fucking run!” She warned him, screaming from the doorway and waving a knife in his general direction.  
  
“What? You gonna chase me? You lazy bitch. You won’t move from that doorway!” He called back at her. Faster than any of them could register, she launched the knife which lodged itself in the tree to the right of his head.  
  
“The adrenaline will make your blood taste sweeter WHEN I RIP YOUR FUCKING THROAT OUT YOU BASTARD!”  
  
“Oookay that’s enough,” Gabriel said calmly, catching her round the waist as she tried to tear away from the door. As he manoeuvred her back into the house, Sam and Dean cautiously following behind, she called over his shoulder, “you better fucking sleep with one eye open you dick! I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE MOTHERF...”  
  
With a click of his fingers Gabriel snapped the door shut behind them.  
  
“Let me at him!” She struggled against Gabriel’s hold on her, trying to pry his hands away from her waist. “I’m gonna show him, let me go!”  
  
“Not until you calm the eff down.” Gabriel laughed. “Not seen you this hyped up since Dionysus brought the Maenads to the solstice.” She snorted at that, and her hands stilled in their movements.  
  
“Well yeah we didn’t need a total bloodbath,” she rolled her eyes, her face softening as she looked him over. “It’s good to see you.”  
  
“Yeah you too,” Dean cleared his throat from the doorway and Gabriel rolled his eyes at his impatience. “Where are my manners?” The sarcasm was practically dripping from his words. “Sam, Dean this is...” he trailed off as he looked at her. “What name are we using?”  
  
“I could ask you the same.”  
  
“They know who I am.”  
  
“Yeah but do they know...” she clicked her fingers at him, “or y’know...” she mimed wings with her hands. Sam snorted.  
  
“Subtle.” Gabriel deadpanned. “They know I’m Gabriel.”  
  
“Ah well, Bea’s fine then.” She shrugged. “No use standing on ceremony. What are you doing here?”  
  
“I’ll explain everything, but first, what on Earth was all that?” Gabriel asked.  
  
“Bastard was sleeping with his secretary.” Bea grumbled.  
  
“Ouch.”  
  
“And his secretary’s assistant, his personal trainer and the woman who valets his car.” Sam had no doubt her look could level cities. Dean let out a low whistle. “Oh, but it’s not his fault, he has a ‘condition’” complete with air quotes.  
  
“He Tiger Woodsed you?” Gabriel said with an eyebrow raise.  
  
“Yeah, isn’t this in your ballpark oh mighty Archangel? Go get me some justice please.” She slumped at the end of the sofa, her wrath fading as she made herself comfy in the cushions.  
  
“Didn’t realise you liked the guy that much,” Gabriel laughed.  
  
“Ugh, as if. He’s disrespected me! Nobody sneaks round behind my back and gets away with it!” She grumbled.  
  
“You never needed my help before.” He dropped on the cushion beside her.  
  
“True,” she grumbled. “Gonna get him good.”  
  
“Wait, wait, wait,” Dean held up a hand. “You can’t seriously be talking about killing the guy.”  
  
“What? No!” Bea sat bolt upright. “I’m gonna shave off his eyebrows in his sleep and put hair dye in his shampoo. Maybe rip all his pants in half. Make sure he cries or shouts out his mother’s name every time he has sex for the rest of his life. I don’t know, something funny.”  
  
“Are you a trickster?” Sam asked, intrigued.  
  
Bea snorted, “nah I just appreciate this ones sense of humour.”  
  
“Bea, this is Sam and Dean,” Gabriel gestured to them both and had to suppress a laugh at how her eyes widened, she clearly hadn’t heard him say it earlier.  
  
“Winchester?!” She gasped. “No fucking way, the Winchesters are in my house!”  
  
“Uhh?” Dean sputtered. “You know us?”  
  
“I am like, your biggest fans,” she laughed, batting her eyelashes and placing her chin on her clasped hands.  
  
Gabriel groaned and let his head fall back against the sofa, “Not those fucking books. Again.”  
  
“Yes, those books and I stand by my love of them! Although I did have to stop reading them when I realised they were all real, like damn boys your lives are depressing.” She explained.  
  
“You told her about us?” Dean asked Gabriel.  
  
“Oh he didn’t need to, it’s kinda hard to ignore when you’re in one of them,” she strode over to the bookshelf on the other side of the room. She picked a book off the shelf and was flicking through the pages as she wandered back over.  
  
“You’re in one?” Sam asked.  
  
“Yep,” she turned the book around, Tall Tales, and pointed to the ghost that had thrown the professor through his own office window.  
  
“That was you?” He looked up at her now and watched in fascination as she morphed her features to match the picture in the story, then made her skin turn into the flaky mess of a decomposing corpse. As quick as he blinked she was back to her normal self, grinning cheekily and arching an eyebrow. “Attractive right?”  
  
“Bea helps me out on jobs sometimes,” Gabriel shrugged.  
  
“Since when do you need help being a dick?” Dean asked.  
  
“Oh no he definitely does **not** need help with that. It’s just an excuse to hang out,” Bea answered. “It’s fun pretending to be someone else for a bit.”  
  
Gabriel glanced over at the shelf she’d taken the book from. “Why do you have all the books up until Tall Tales and then just Mystery Spot?”  
  
“A friend sent me that one,” Bea smirked. “You were just a grade A asshole weren’t you? It’s my favourite, you know, absolute peak bastard behaviour from you Gabe. Poor Sam over here didn’t stand a chance.”  
  
“Hey I was trying to make a point.” Gabriel shrugged, but he couldn’t help the guilty look that passed over his face as he looked at Sam.  
  
“Yeah couldn’t just _tell_ him could you. Why are angels so dramatic,” she fake swooned, holding her hand against her forehead and collapsing back on the cushion next to Gabriel. _‘So just how much do you wanna climb the tall one?’_ She pushed the thought towards Gabriel. He snorted, not expecting her question or the cackle that followed it. Sam and Dean looked at each other and then back at Bea and Gabriel.   
  
“What?”   
  
“Why do I feel like we missed something?” Sam asked Dean.  
  
“Because we definitely did.” Dean answered.  
  
“Ohh!” Bea said, realisation dawning on her features. “Archangels can read minds. Didn’t you know?”  
  
“No!” Dean shouted. Bea noticed Sam’s ears tinged pink with embarrassment and grinned at him.   
  
“It’s not like that,” Gabriel shook his head. “It takes a lot of practice to read someone’s mind. Your thoughts are all jumbled up in there, I either have to try really hard to make sense of it or you have to consciously thread your thoughts together into coherent sentences. It’s good when we’re working a job though.”  
  
Suddenly Bea sat upright next to Gabriel, Staring at the door. Her eyes suddenly swirling with purple, blue and gold – like galaxies were contained in them. “Were you followed?” She stood, walking to the door slowly. Dean and Sam already reaching for their guns even as Gabriel held out a hand to stop them. Bea swung the door open and Dean caught a flash of a familiar looking trench coat.  
  
“Hey Angel, how’d you find this place?” She leant against the doorframe. Cas struggled to stand without swaying, and before he gave it too much thought, Dean had rushed to the doorway and had an armful of angel as he collapsed. Dean helped him stumble over to the sofa where he sunk into the cushions. He looked pale and withdrawn.  
  
“Cassie what happened?” Gabriel rushed to his side. “Are you alright?” Castiel looked up at Gabriel, clearly dazed and weakened. Sam was suddenly struck with an image of the time he had broken his arm when he was six and Dean had hovered for days making sure he was okay. It was easy to forget that these two cosmic beings were at the end of the day, two brothers just like them.  
  
“The time travel was more taxing that I had expected.” Castiel answered a little breathlessly. _‘How far have you fallen Cassie?’_ Gabriel asked through his grace. Castiel wouldn’t meet his eyes. Bea waved a hand in their direction and held her finger to her lips, before pointing towards the door. She twisted her hand and all the lights in the house turned off except the one directly above her. They heard a voice from the clearing in the woods.  
  
“Well, well, well, look who we’ve found…” Sam knew he recognised that voice. “Little Trixie.” Bea had her back to them but they could see how she straightened up and squared her shoulders.  
  
“Meg.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought :)


	5. My Bloody Valentine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn a bit more about Bea, and see the fallout of tangling with Famine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Update Day!
> 
> If it's bold its enochian and italics are thoughts (on the whole)

“What are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere Trixie?” Meg mocked.  
  
“Okay one; don’t call me that.” Bea answered. “And two, how did you find me?”  
  
“Oh this is just a happy little coincidence. I was following Clarence there. He threw me on some holy fire, I think that gives me a free shot.”  
  
“Yeah sounds fair,” Bea started. Sam had to physically hold Dean back from moving forward, “shut up and listen,” he hissed. “You just step over that warding line in front of you and come and get him.” Meg clenched her jaw.  
  
“I’ve got a better idea,” She said. “How about I take you to Lucifer and you can do what you’re supposed to in this war.”  
  
“I’m sorry I’m going to have to say no.” Bea said. “Very tempting offer but like I say, you walk over that line and you can take whatever you want.”  
  
“Maybe I’ll just call some backup.”  
  
“Maybe if you can find a demon that’s brave enough to cross that line I’ll listen to you.” Bea began tracing symbols on the wall next to the doorframe out of Meg’s sight. Sam tried to see what she was doing but from where they were hiding on the floor he could only see little glowing lights forming a line down the wall.  
  
“She’s putting up warding,” Gabriel whispered in his ear, when had he gotten so close? Sam refused to let his proximity throw him off, even if a shiver did run down his spine as the Archangels breath ghosted over the back of his neck. “Extra warding. Meg might not be able to sense us through the warding she already has up but if someone above her paygrade shows up we could be fair game. Bea’s just being cautious.”  
  
“What are those symbols?” Sam murmured back to him, keeping his eyes on the door.  
  
“Pagan magic,” Gabriel replied. “And some Enochian. Powerful stuff, most of it I taught her. Although some of that pagan stuff is new to me, I don’t know where she’s got that from.” He didn’t sound too happy that she was doing something he hadn’t taught her.  
  
“Although,” Bea continued. “I’d love to know who exactly you would call. Last I heard Lilith? Dead. Azazel? Also dead. Alistair? Definitely dead. Samhain isn’t worth his weight in salt where he’s stuck. How many heavy hitters have you got left. You got another prince on your call list? As long as it’s not Dagan. That bitch has no sense of humour.”  
  
“I could you know,” Meg argued. “I could get another prince here.”  
  
“By all means,” Bea threw her arms wide. “They’re still not going to cross that line.”  
  
“I could call Lucifer here.” Meg threatened.  
  
“And if you were going to you would have.” Bea shot her down. “No point bringing him here to what, make me bear him a Nephilim? Weaponize me against the armies of heaven? As far as I’m aware, he’s not even in the right meat suit. He’s not going to come for me until he’s good and ready – we both know that. Goodbye Meg.” She started to close the door.  
  
“How did you do it?” Meg called out to her. “We’ve all been wondering. The rumour is an Archangel kicked Lilith out of you.”  
  
Bea froze with her hand on the door. “What rumour?”  
  
“Lilith was in you for what? Twelve years?” Meg taunted. “Long enough to weaponize you. Give you those tricky little powers even if you’re posing as a pagan. So, it must have been something pretty strong to kick her out of your meatsuit. Was it really an Archangel?”  
  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  
  
Sam looked at Gabriel from the corner of his eye, he was staring at the door, eyes focused and deadly. He was suddenly struck with the image of him as the fierce warrior underneath all that snark and sugar. Why did he bother with someone like Sam? The almost boy king with the demon blood stains on his soul who’d kickstarted the apocalypse. He turned back to the door; he could feel the self-doubt creeping into the back of his mind. No wonder he’d run after kissing Sam. It probably tainted his grace even being this close to him.  
  
“You think really loudly.” Gabriel muttered next to him. Sam flushed, he could feel the shame creeping up his neck and colouring his cheeks.  
  
“Stay out of my head.”  
  
“You’re practically shouting your thoughts at me I can’t help it.”  
  
“Well try.”  
  
_It would be great if you could both **shut up** while I’m trying to hide you from a demon, just saying._ Sam heard Bea’s voice clear in his head and his eyes went wide. She hadn’t moved from the door, hadn’t even turned but Sam knew she was listening.  
  
“Are we done here?” Bea asked, or really told, Meg. “I’m bored of you so y’know, do one.”  
  
“We know where you are now.”  
  
“And if any of you ever get brave enough to cross that line; I’ll be worried. Buh bye.” She slammed the door shut and turned back to them, placing her finger over her lips. “Let me just check she’s actually gone.” she whispered, slinking over to the window and peeking through the curtains. They could see her shoulders sag in relief. “Okay coast is clear.” The lights flickered back on and Dean moved to Cas’ side, checking the angel over.  
  
“He gonna be okay?” Sam asked.  
  
“He just needs rest.” Gabriel shrugged. “There’s not much I can do. Can they stay here? Just for a few days?” He turned to Bea.  
  
“Yeah fine by me,” She nodded. “I don’t know if Meg’ll show up again though.”  
  
“You’ve got that warding though, right?” Dean asked.  
  
“Yeah about that.” She smiled indulgently. “It’s not strictly speaking, real, I’m just very good at spreading rumours.” Dean raised a questioning eyebrow at her. “I drew that line in the dirt and set a few demons on fire who dared to cross it and sort of told them it was the warding? Let one or two get away and tell everyone else about the scary pagan lady who’s warding could incinerate demons.”  
  
“What are you?” Sam laughed; the intelligent side of his brain intrigued by something he hadn’t come across before.  
  
“Long story short kinda deal? Lilith possessed me, weaponized me, Gabriel showed up and kicked the bitch out then got me some of that pagan witness protection he’s so proud of.”  
  
“I taught her everything she knows.” Gabriel said proudly.  
  
“Yeah right,” she snorted. “Dropped me off in ancient Greece, told me to make friends with the Gods and show off my powers. _‘I’ll be back in a month!’_ ; didn’t come back for 6? Taught me everything. My ass.” Gabriel looked affronted.  
  
“You had to establish yourself in a pantheon without my help,” he said.  
  
“Which I did, I’m not all your hard work though am I _Loki_. I’m an awful lot of myself and others too. Give me some credit.”  
  
“Well I best be off then,” he sulked. “I’ll come back in a few days.”  
  
“Don’t sulk Gabe.” Bea smiled at him. “I’m still very grateful you kicked the bitch out.”  
  
“Yeah yeah,” he gave a half wave and wandered out the door. _Not so fast,_ Sam thought chasing after him, catching him at the edge of the clearing.  
  
“So,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “She’s allowed to call you Gabe then?”  
  
“Are you jealous?” Gabriel laughed. “It’s a good look on you.”  
  
“No,” Sam shuffled on his feet. “I just… are we pretending it didn’t happen?”  
  
“Sam,” Gabriel started. “Look, I’m older than you can possibly imagine, and more powerful than almost anything in the universe. I shouldn’t have kissed you, we’re not on an even footing.” Sam shrugged one shoulder, he knew he wasn’t good enough for the Archangel, with his tainted soul, he shouldn’t have dared to hope.  
  
“No, Sam don’t do that,” Gabriel was grabbing his shoulder. “I’m not better than you, that’s not where I was going with that.” Sam stared at the ground between them, not trusting his voice if he tried to speak. Daring to look up he met Gabriel’s eyes and was shocked to see empathy (and was that affection?) in the warm whiskey gaze. He seemed to find whatever he was looking for in Sam’s eyes however, because a moment later he rolled his eyes and shook his head.  
  
“Come here you stupid boy,” he sighed, grabbing the front of Sam’s shirt and pulling him into a fierce kiss. It took Sam approximately half a second to get with the programme, eyes fluttering shut and bringing his hands to rest against Gabriel’s back, deepening the kiss and swallowing the sigh the shorter man let out. It felt like time stopped, but it was still over too quickly for the hunter. Gabriel pressed their foreheads together.  
  
“I’ll come get you in a few days,” he murmured against his lips. “But pray if you need me.” Sam nodded, struck mute by what had just happened. Then his hands were empty and he was alone in the clearing, no way to get rid of the grin threatening to split his face in half.

****

Three days later, after Dean had drank through most of her booze, Bea had shown Sam some of her _very impressive_ ancient text collection and Cas had finally stopped looking like he was about to collapse at any given moment, Gabriel finally showed up to take them back to the motel they’d left the impala and all their worldly possessions in. With a quick wave (a sneaky wink at Sam) and a “try not to get into too much trouble without me,” he was gone. Which naturally meant that 24 hours later, they were up to their elbows in trouble.  
  
At first Dean had been morbidly curious – a couple getting so overexcited they’d eaten each other? Definitely a weird one. Then he’d been pissed, why angels had to involve themselves in everything he would never know. And the fact that this cupid, cherub thing had told him that they’d ‘match-made’ their parents? The whole thing was just creepy! But now. Now they’d come for Cas, they’d come for Sam. And nobody came for Dean’s family and walked away unscathed.  
  
It had been funny at first, him and Sam shared a fond smile when Cas had shown up with the bag of takeout and easily put away two massive hamburgers. He had been desperate to see the usually unflappable angel do something more human like them. He thought Cas was just finally letting go of a little bit of that almost militant control over his baser urges. But when Cas had explained that a _horseman_ was in town, his stomach dropped as though it was full of lead. And when Sam leaned heavily against the bathroom door, sweat beading on his brow, saying that he was craving demon blood, his stomach hit the floor. He was accosted by images of Sam stuck in the panic room screaming to be let out as he struggled through withdrawal. He felt the same rage that he had with Ruby curling in the pit of his stomach. She had taken his baby brother and now Famine was trying to do it all over again.  
  
He hated handcuffing Sam to the sink. Hated that they needed to barricade the door with the wardrobe (even though he had admired that Castiel barely even had to try and move the whole thing in front of the door, like _damn_.) It felt like someone was missing from their little team as they walked into the diner. Although, as Dean watched Cas start to shovel food into his mouth, he thought it might have been better to come alone. It definitely wasn’t funny now.

“You’re not hungry Dean, because inside, you’re already dead.” Dean didn’t know what to say to that, didn’t know if there was anything he could say to that. Unfortunately, someone else answered for him.  
  
“Let him go.”  
  
“Sammy, no.” All his worst nightmares were coming true. Sam’s face and shirt were stained with blood. Too much blood. How had he got out?  
  
“No one lays a hand on this sweet little boy.” Famine said. “I see you got the snack I sent you.” The anger simmering in Dean’s stomach flared into full blown rage. These satanic bastards needed to stop messing with **his** brother. Sam looked as angry as he felt, but his pupils were blown wide. Dean could see he was struggling with the high the blood was giving him.  
  
Sam ripped the demons from Famine and Dean took his ring. He couldn’t watch Sam go through that withdrawal again, couldn’t cope with his screams as he detoxed. Maybe Cas would do it for him. He hoped so. For the first time in God knows how long, Dean Winchester prayed.

****

“Cassie, what happened?” Gabriel asked, appearing next to him outside the panic room.  
  
“Gabriel?” Cas looked at him, eyes wide but no less intense for it. “What are you doing here?”  
  
“Sam. He’s _screaming_ for me.” He said, looking agitated. If he had to explain it, it was as if there were ants crawling all over his skin for the pain with which Sam’s soul was crying out. “He’s in my prayer channel crying out for help. What the hell happened?” Cas wrung his hands, he was still feeling the side effects of famine on his system, nauseous and much more human than ever before. “Cassie?”  
  
“Famine.” he whispered, struggling to meet Gabriel’s eyes. “We found famine.”  
  
“The horseman?!”  
  
“Yes. He affected my vessel. And Sam.”  
  
“ **What happened Castiel?** ” Gabriel slipped easily into a language he hadn’t spoken in millennia. Castiel felt his wings ruffle under the scrutiny and the weight of his true voice.  
  
“I gorged myself on red meat, and Sam…” they could hear him screaming from the panic room. “They sent demons to where we were hiding him. He drank so much blood Gabriel…” Castiel cut off, looking away. He was shaking. He hated this, the feelings coming stronger than anything he’d ever experienced. He’d never been able to hate before. Gabriel clapped a firm hand on his shoulder.  
  
“Cassie…” for once, he wasn’t sure what to say. Searching Castiel’s face and seeing the pain he was in, hearing Sam scream with what he was going through on the other side of that door. There was nothing to say. He pulled his brother into a hug – wrapping the largest pair of his wings around him in a way he hadn’t since he left heaven. He wasn’t sure how long he stayed there, trying to offer comfort to the younger angel, but when he folded his wings back the screaming behind the door had stopped. He could hear the faint whimper of his name.  
  
“ _Gabriel_.”


	6. Dead Men don't Wear Plaid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam deals with the fallout of drinking all that demon blood and Dean spirals even further downward.

Sam felt like his skin was on fire. Like the demon blood in his veins had turned to lava and was burning him from the inside out. His throat was dry and scratchy but the rolling waves of nausea attacking his stomach meant that he couldn’t even keep water down. He knew that the hallucinations would start soon, wondered at what horrors his fractured mind would conjure this time. He didn’t have to wait long.  
  
“They locked you in here again Sammy?” He clenched his eyes shut, he didn’t want to look at his mother. Not when he knew she wasn’t real. He didn’t need the cloying sweetness of her words and comfort when it was all just a figment of his imagination. He just wanted it to be over, the blood out of his system and out of this box he was trapped in. Sam had never coped well with being caged in anywhere, his claustrophobia triggered by feeling trapped especially in a place that already held so many negative memories. He remembered how Alastair had tortured him, how Dean had turned his back on him then. Even knowing it wasn’t real it still stung.  
  
“Sammy it’s okay,” he could hear her voice so clearly, could almost feel the dip in the mattress where she perched next to him. “Look at me Sam.” Hot tears trailed from the corners of his eyes, sliding down his temples and getting lost in his hair. He shook his head, clenching his jaw to keep his mouth shut. This wasn’t _real._ And it wasn’t fair.  
  
“Life isn’t fair Sam, I taught you boys that.” The sound of his dad’s voice made his eyes snap open. His Mom was gone now, John looming over him. Even though he was grown, he still felt like he was 8 years old and the fear that struck his heart was more real than he cared to admit. John shook his head as he looked down at Sam. “I told Dean this would happen.” He sighed disapprovingly. “I warned him that you couldn’t be trusted, I told him to take you out Sam. Looks like you’ve both ended up a disappointment. I should have just killed you myself. I thought I raised you both better than this. I know you wanted to save the world and you think you still can. But in the grand scheme of things Sammy, the truth is, you don’t _matter_.”  
  
A broken sob tore itself from Sam’s chest. Even knowing this was something his withdrawal addled brain had cooked up the fact was he knew that this was something his Dad would say. He would be so disappointed in him. So angry that Sam’s need to avenge what had happened to Dean had led to freeing Lucifer from the cage. Sam had brought on the apocalypse and nothing he could ever do would fix it. The fear he had tried so desperately to ignore curled around his heart and clenched as he looked up at the naked hatred on John’s face.  
  
“I’m sorry…” he choked out. “Dad… p-please…”  
  
“I wish you’d never been born Sam.” Sam clenched his eyes shut as he felt his body seize on the bed, straining against the bonds holding him down and tears flowing freely down his cheeks.  
  
“Hey, hey Sammy,” He could hear Dean at the head of the bed. “Sammy breathe, it’s okay. Just breathe.”  
  
“Dean,” he huffs out in a messy exhale. He’s seen this film before, knows Dean will angrily tell him how much he’s messed up, turn his back on him again.  
  
“Sammy, deep breaths” He struggles to look up at Dean where he’s hovering by his head and takes in a shuddering breath. “That’s it, just like that.”  
  
“Dean?” and the word holds so much more than a name. Sam’s head is still reeling from the influence of the blood on his system but he can’t understand _why_ it’s _this_ side of Dean that his brain’s pulled forward. The Dean who made sure he ate his vegetables when he was growing up. The Dean who made sure he slept at a reasonable time, who’d carefully tended to his knee when he’d gone headfirst over the doorway of the latest motel they’d been staying in, who’d sat and held his hand and explained why they only had a dad.  
  
“I’m not angry Sammy,” this version of his big brother was completely different from the last one his blood addled mind had conjured.

“Why?” Sam manages to rasp, Dean just looks at him in that special ‘you’re irritating but you’re my irritating little brother’ way he seems to have perfected.

“You have a problem with demon blood. And they used that against you, they knew you were weak against it and they sent demons because they knew you’d fall into that old pattern again. They knew how to get to you and they used that to take you away from me. I’m not angry Sam, I’m just… _disappointed_.” And damn him, he knows that’s _worse_.  
  
“Nooooo...” Sam moaned as Dean vanished only to be replaced with someone who was somehow worse. “Not you, please not you.”  
  
“Why not me? Having some conflicting feelings there Samshine.” God even when he was hallucinating Gabriel had a level of snark and confidence that Sam could only dream of. “ _Gabriel.”_ he breathed.  
  
“You know I’m not really here, just something your subconscious has cooked up to play with you. You’re clever enough to know that I’m here because you’ve heard the real Gabriel outside that door. Are you wanting him to break down that door and swoop in here to save you? You never struck me as a damsel in distress, even if you do have the hair Princess.”  
  
“Bullshit. Why are you the voice of reason all of a sudden? Making me be sensible when I really don’t want to be.” Sam knew he was whining, but if he was whining at his own subconscious it really shouldn’t count.  
  
“Because Sammy, the only thing you need saving from right now is yourself.”  
  
Sam forced his eyes open to look at fake Gabriel. “What are you saying?”  
  
“I’m saying that real me could burst in here and whisk you away, we both know that he’s more powerful than Bobby’s warding is probably prepared for. On the other hand, we also know this is something you’re going to have to battle yourself or else you’re going to be waiting for Gabriel to rush in and save you every time from this point on.” He perched on the bed next to him, twining their fingers together and Sam really didn’t want to admit how much he liked the casual show of affection. “And the truth is, you still haven’t told Dean just how deep this goes which you’re going to have to if Gabriel’s going to bring the full wrath of an Archangel down every time you’re in trouble. And it scares you, because you want it. But you’ve spent so much time digging your heels in and saying no to one Archangel that even thinking about saying yes to another makes it feel like a betrayal. It burns you, this choice that you’re forcing yourself to make. But Sam, you don’t have to make it right now.”  
  
Sam allowed his breathing to calm. His skin no longer feeling like it wanted to crawl it’s way off his body, his mind blissfully clear. Fake Gabriel was smiling at him, “I give it about five minutes before I’m breaking that door down, so maybe let them know you got this?” Just like that he faded away and Sam’s hand felt cold and empty. Fake Gabriel was right though, he could hear voices starting to raise outside the door of the panic room. He cleared his throat and winced at how raw it felt.  
  
“Cas?” He called as loud as he could manage when his throat felt torn to shreds.  
  
“Sam?” He heard faintly.  
  
“Yeah, is Gabriel with you?”  
  
“I’m here Samsquatch, you need me to come in there?”  
  
“I’m good,” Sam tried to sound reassuring. “I think the worst of it’s gone. I’ve stopped hallucinating. I’m just cold. Could you let Dean know? Cas? He’s a nightmare for blaming himself when it’s really not his fault.”  
  
“I’ll let him know, and Sam?”  
  
“Yeah Cas?”  
  
“It’s not your fault either.” Sam didn’t know what to say to that. In all honesty it felt like his fault, when he thought on it too long he definitely blamed himself. He shook his head to clear the thoughts before they had chance to take root. Blaming himself when he was already fragile wouldn’t end well. As the heavy door creaked open Sam blinked blearily and turned his head to see Gabriel leaning against the doorframe.  
  
“Is it always this messy?” The humour in the voice was greatly undermined by the genuine concern he could see in Gabriel’s eyes.  
  
“Last time was worse,” Sam’s voice was protesting against being used so soon after him screaming himself hoarse. “I had someone talk some sense into me this time.” The way Gabriel’s eyes were dancing told Sam that he knew exactly what had gone on inside his head, exactly who his subconscious had presented as a voice of reason. He wasn’t sure if Gabriel would be honoured or offended at the whole idea. But Sam was too exhausted to even try and wrap his head around the idea, now that his body and mind had stopped fighting each other he could feel just how bone tired he was. He could feel his eyes slipping shut even as he tried to keep them open. Gabriel just laughed softly from the doorway, clicking his fingers lazily. Sam felt a thick woollen blanket settle over him on the bed and Gabriel’s voice drift over from far away, “go to sleep Sammy.”  
  


****  
  


Dean didn’t know how to react. He knows how his Dad would have wanted him to, get angry and kill something non-human, with a side of whiskey to wash down the anger. Maybe a pretty waitress to chase away any further bad feelings he had lingering in the back of his mind. But Dean was finding that gaping hole inside him harder and harder to fill with his old (frankly _unhealthy_ ) coping mechanisms. Almost feel the black hole inside his soul stretch and grow and _grab_ at what was left and shred it into ever smaller pieces. Bobby was the best man he knew, the only one who’d bothered to play catch with him, who’d taught him how to take apart and rebuild a car. He loved Bobby, and that love was being twisted and turned against them even now. Bobby had had to kill his wife, **_again_** , and damn it that blame fell firmly at his feet.  
  
“Death wanted to send a message,” Bobby had told them. Dean couldn’t stop hearing it whirring round in his brain. He had always believed that he and Sam could take on anything, devil be damned, but now – he could feel his faith in them waning. How he longed for the days when yellow eyes was the big bad in their life. What he wouldn’t give for a simple salt-n-burn or a little vampire nest. Hell, he’d take Gabriel throwing them in another mystery spot and/or tv rerun nightmare at this point.  
  
“Dean?” Cas’ gravelly voice only compounded the guilt that had curled its way around Dean’s heart and he struggled to meet his eyes.  
  
“Yeah Cas?”  
  
“Your soul.” he started, head tilting in that familiar look of confusion. “It’s calling out to me.” Dean rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly, not sure how to answer that. “What happened?”  
  
“Y’know, zombies,” he half shrugged. “Death, and he brought Bobby’s wife back to send a message. It’s been… a heavy few days.”  
  
“What was the message?”  
  
“Death wants him to stop helping us. He wants Sam to say yes to Lucifer and apparently Bobby’s one of the reasons he’s holding out.” He hated how disheartened his voice sounded.  
  
“When I find God, he will be able to stop all of this.”  
  
Dean snorted, but he couldn’t find it in himself to tell Cas how _hopeless_ this search was. Not when Cas had turned his back on heaven for them, for _Dean_ , who was using what little power he had left (and of course he’d noticed, he wasn’t blind or stupid) to try and fix their messes. All Dean could feel when looking at Cas, was a burning desire for some of that faith that the angel seemed to have in abundance. How he ached to feel like the world wasn’t tumbling down around him. As it was, he threw Cas a smile he knew hadn’t reached his eyes and hoped that it would be enough to pull them through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Update Day!! Let me know what you think :)


	7. The Dark Side of the Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Update Day!  
> Sorry it's a day late :)  
> This one's a looong one but my brain had a lot to include.

Dean knew something was wrong before he opened his eyes. The prickling in the back of his skull that screamed danger had him running through his mental checklist _danger, Sammy, gun, safety._ He stretched his arm under the pillow only to find the space cold and empty. Shit. He rolled over to be immediately staring down the barrel of a gun. He wasn’t really listening to what they were both saying, too preoccupied taking in the tension in Sam’s body and looking for any escape from the situation. Until he recognised that voice.   
  
“Roy? That you?” he turned to the other man. “Which must make you Walt.”  
  
Sam tried to talk them down. Tried to explain his side. The guns were making him nervous, and Dean’s cocksure attitude wasn’t helping at all. Wondering whether he’d be able to reach his tattoo without setting either of the gunmen off. His worst fear in that moment was that they’d both end up dead before their angels would find them. Even if they were able to pray. Dean was all bravado where he sat on his bed but Sam could hear the fear in his tone. He made the mistake of looking over at Dean, hearing the gun go off as he did so. Then there was white hot pain, followed by nothing. Sam’s worst fear came to pass. He died on the bed next to his brother with no sign of either angel and they both went to Hell – or the Hell that Heaven had become for them.

****

Back on Earth, there were two other brothers arguing in a striking parallel to their humans.

“They’re **DEAD**?!” Gabriel shouted, gesturing at Sam and Dean’s rapidly cooling corpses. “Shit Cassie you should have called me straight away! You can’t leave them wandering round up there. What if Zach finds them? You think he’s just gonna send them back. He’s going to hurt them!”  
  
“They’re on their way to Joshua! He’s still speaking to God!” Castiel foolishly tried to hold Gabriel’s arm back even as the archangel was reaching out to drag the hunters’ souls back.  
  
“Dad isn’t coming back Castiel! He’s gone. He either doesn’t care or he’s so disappointed that he can’t come back. Look at what Mikey is **_doing_**! All you’re going to find at the end of this search is disappointment and pain.” Movement from the bed had both angels swinging round to see Sam twitch and with a snap of his fingers Gabriel was gone.

****

Sam gasped as air filled his lungs and he sat bolt upright, hands grabbing at his chest reflexively. The gaping gunshot wound was mercifully absent, but his shirt was in tatters. On the bed next to him Dean inhaled his own deep breath as he re-joined the land of the living. Sam glanced over at him but his brother was steadfastly refusing to meet his gaze.  
  
“You alright?” he tried.  
  
“Define alright.” Dean huffed back, noticing where Cas was standing at the end of their beds. “Cas?”  
  
“What happened?” Cas asked, clearly noticing the tension between the brothers.  
  
“We found Joshua, God’s not interested Cas. He’s checked out. Finished. Knows the apocalypse is happening and doesn’t care enough to stop it. Looks like he wants to watch the world burn,” Dean could see how he was _hurting_ him but couldn’t seem to stop the words as they forced their way out of his mouth. The blackness he could feel in his soul twisting and curling and spreading into his actions. He couldn’t stop the venom in his glare as he looked at Sam either. “Oh and Sammy’s idea of Heaven is one where he runs and doesn’t have to ever see me again so hey, turns out family don’t mean shit to anyone round here.”  
  
“Dean that’s not what…” The pain was tangible in Sam’s voice and he couldn’t bear it. Waving his hand Dean got up from the bed and grabbed a change of clothes before locking himself in the bathroom.   
  
“Maybe Joshua was lying?” Castiel looked at Sam, and Sam wished he could tell him that was the case. Shelving his own pain to deal with later (much, much later) he shook his head sadly.   
  
“I don’t think he was Cas, sorry.” The sound the angel exhaled was filled with so much despair Sam could feel tears welling in his eyes.   
  
“You son of a bitch. I believed in…” Dean coming out of the bathroom cut Castiel off mid-sentence, his shoulders noticeably tightening. He turned back to face them both and threw something in Dean’s direction. His reflexes caught it with him barely registering, glancing down to see the necklace Sam had given him all those years ago and it was almost like it burned his hand. “I don’t need it anymore. It’s worthless.”  
  
“Wait, Cas.” Before Sam could stop him, he had vanished from the room. Panic was creeping into the edges of his mind, he could feel it as sure as he could feel Cas’ despair and Dean pulling away from him. Eyes wide he turned to his brother, noticing how he was already closing off, the shuttered look on his face making it abundantly clear that Dean was _done_ with all of this. With _Sam._ “We’ll find something else. We’ll find another way.”  
  
“How?” Dean shook his head and walked past him toward the door. Stopping only to dangle that godforsaken amulet over the bin, making sure he saw what he was doing as he dropped it into the bin, before stalking out of the room. As Sam felt his shoulders slump at the pure hatred that rejection showed, he shuffled over to the door, refusing to cry. He was sure now that Dean was only keeping him around to stop him from saying yes to Lucifer by this point, he couldn’t tell if his brother held anything but contempt for him. And honestly. He didn’t blame him one bit. Wrapped up in a whirlwind of self-loathing and despair, he barely registered as he stumbled into a body in the doorway.  
  
“Gabriel?”  
  
The Archangel’s eyes were burning with barely leashed fury as he raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Sam felt like he was being blown through a hurricane for a split second before he found himself in an airy room with modern furniture and a wall made entirely of glass leading out to an enormous garden.  
  
“Where am I?” Sam asked, looking around the frankly enormous room they were standing in.  
  
“My house.” Gabriel’s voice was like steel and Sam’s nerves were still raw enough for him to shudder under it.  
  
“You have to take me back.” He tried, but there was no conviction to what he was saying. “Dean...”  
  
“Deano can wait, after the little stunt he just pulled.” the growling wasn’t much better on Sam’s nerves. “He doesn’t even know you’ve gone. I pressed pause on the universe for a minute because you **_died again_**.”  
  
“It’s not like I did it on purpose.” he mumbled.  
  
“Twice Sam.” Gabriel stared at him, daring him to argue. “That’s twice in the last month. You’re going to end up seriously damaging yourself!”  
  
“That never stopped you with Dean.” Sam flinched even as he said it, shaking his head and willing the words away. Gabriel’s eyes flashed while he tried to backtrack. “I didn’t… I mean… Shit.”  
  
“I don’t care,” he dismissed him with a wave. “I’m keeping you here until I’m satisfied that you’re not about to drop dead yet again. I watched the temperature of your body drop!”  
  
Before he could slide into the explosive rant that Sam could feel building in the air around them, Gabriel’s grace crackling with a powerful and furious edge, they were interrupted by barking. Sam turned to see a small brown and white dog come waddling into the room yapping at Gabriel, he could almost feel the anger flow out of the room.   
  
“Yes Mischief?” he addressed the dog directly, nodding at the bark he got in response. “Okay, I’ve stopped shouting, you little brat.”   
  
“You speak… dog?” Sam could feel the tension leaving his own shoulders as he took in the ridiculousness of what he was seeing.   
  
“Archangel Sammy, I speak everything.” And damn him those eyebrows shouldn’t be that charming. In an attempt to distract from how flustered he was feeling, Sam dropped to one knee and held his hand out towards the dog, who immediately wagged his tail and bounded over to him. He fussed over the dog, letting its obvious happiness relieve some of the tension in his shoulders as he was smothered in puppy kisses.   
  
“Hey, you’re gorgeous aren’t you,” he cooed over the dog. “Such a good boy.”  
  
“Mischief, you’re taking all of daddy’s attention. Little pest.” Gabriel grumbled with no real heat to his words. Sam felt calm enough to look up at him now, the ghost of a smile gracing his features.   
  
“Jealous?” he snarked.   
  
“Not at all, I can slobber all over your face if I want.”  
  
“Gross.” Sam crinkled his nose, and Gabriel was sure he’d never seen the hunter look so downright adorable.  
  
“Now that you’re feeling a bit calmer. Any chance you’ll tell me why Dean was growling round that motel room like a damn rabid wolf and you looked dead set to roll over and show him your belly?” Gabriel’s tone was deceptively light, but Sam could see how serious he was taking this. He shuddered under the gaze levelled at him but followed Gabriel over to the sofa looking out of the giant glass wall. Mischief happily trotting behind them.  
  
“Me and Dean share a heaven.” he decided to start with. The Archangel’s eyebrows shot up on hearing it.   
  
“Well. No wonder I couldn’t get you to let him go.” Sam conceded that point with a half shrug.  
  
“All of my memories up there, involved me leaving him.” He rubbed his face. “A thanksgiving I had at this girls house, once when I ran away when I was younger, and the night I left for Stanford. Dean took it personally.”  
  
“They don’t sound like your best memories,” Gabriel was frowning.   
  
“I’ve had better,” Sam shrugged again. “When we found Joshua and he basically said that God’s checked out, I think it hit him hard. He’s lost his hope, and it’s making him lash out.”   
  
He wasn’t expecting the warm hand that landed on his thigh and squeezed, and it must have shown on his face when he looked up at Gabriel. The smile he got in return was warm. “It wasn’t your fault Sam.” He couldn’t look away. “Those assholes fucked with your heaven. It sucks, but it wasn’t your fault.”   
  
“Can you tell Dean that?” Sam huffed out a cynical laugh.  
  
“Sure thing kiddo, I can dole out some retribution while I’m at it.”  
  
“No, no, it’s fine. We’ll be fine. We always are,” Sam knew he didn’t sound very convincing when Gabriel squeezed his thigh, warmth spreading from his hand and chasing the rest of his doubts away. The feeling was surprisingly grounding, Sam could feel himself relaxing alarmingly quickly around the Archangel. He supposed being in this house, with an adorable dog and no immediate threat, meant his subconscious was seeing it as a safe space. He leant back against the sofa and looked at the other man. They had so much _history,_ so many reasons why Sam should run. But he didn’t want to run. Not now, where Gabriel was sat close enough that he could probably count and catalogue the shades of gold in his irises. With a rare flash of confidence, he raised a hand to cup Gabriel’s face. Glancing down to his mouth to make it abundantly clear what he was planning to do – he closed the distance between them. Pressing their mouths together with an almost chaste kiss but was filled with intent.  
  
Gabriel met the kiss with a fierceness that stole Sam’s breath away, swinging one of his legs over so he was straddling the hunter’s lap. He ran his hands through the taller man’s hair, smiling into the kiss as he felt Sam moan. “Always knew you kept this long for a reason Sammy,” he murmured against his mouth, tightening the hand he had fisted in his hair and swallowing the resulting gasp with a kiss that had Sam’s toes curling and his hands gripping Gabriel’s hips so hard he’d leave bruises on a human. The Archangel pulled back to see Sam’s pupils blown wide, with just a barely visible ring of hazel as he stared up at him, an expression of pure _want_ on his face that could have taken his breath away if he needed to breath. Bringing one of his hands to hold the side of Sam’s face and run his thumb over the curve of his cheek he forced himself to calm slightly.   
  
“Sam,” The use of his actual name instead of some ridiculous variation had him immediately focused on Gabriel’s face. “If this is too fast, I need you to tell me **now**.” The smile that broke on his face, slow and sure as it was, was practically sinful and had Gabriel wanting to take it away with a downright filthy kiss. He barely restrained himself, but this was important.   
  
“Gabriel.” Sam ran his hand up from where it was resting on his hip purposefully slow, up over his chest, curling around the back of his neck and pulling his head down so that their lips were brushing against each other. He whispered darkly against his mouth, “If you don’t take me to your bedroom and fuck me _right now_ , I’m taking it as a personal offence.”  
  
“ _Damn_ kiddo,” Gabriel stood from the sofa, dragging Sam up with him and pulling him towards the stairs.

****

Sam couldn’t remember falling asleep. That was the first thought that entered his head, the second being how comfortable he felt, absent patterns being traced between his shoulder blades. His head was resting on a warm chest, and he could feel it thrumming with power. _Gabriel_. He barely withstood the urge to nuzzle in when he felt Gabriel’s fingers card strongly through his hair. He didn’t manage to stop the purr that reverberated through his chest and the resultant chuckle made him feel lighter than he could remember.   
  
“I’m not sure whether to be offended or not.” Sam cracked open one eye and looked up at him. The pure affection and mirth he could see in Gabriel’s eyes made it clear that he wasn’t really offended at all.   
  
“Offended?” Sam asked.   
  
“You blacked out Sambo.”  
  
“What?!” It was coming back to him now, as he stretched and felt the glorious ache running down his back. He couldn’t help the groan he exhaled as he rolled onto his back, pulling Gabriel with him. “You should probably take it as a compliment.”  
  
“Oh trust me kiddo, I definitely take it as a compliment.” Gabriel’s voice trailed off quietly as he leant down to softly brush his lips against Sam’s, bringing his hand up to cradle his face. They traded gentle kisses, losing the urgency from earlier, hands sliding over skin as they got lost in each other. The kisses melted into words, Sam loved hearing about what Gabriel had got up to over the years, it satisfied his boundless thirst for knowledge and hearing it all straight from the source was dizzying.  
  
“So, I have a question.” Sam asked as his hand was still lazily running down the lines of Gabriel’s back. Gabriel rested his chin on Sam’s chest as he looked up at him.  
  
“Oh yeah? Should I be worried?” The laughter that lit up his eyes was just breath taking and he had to take a minute to focus on where his thoughts had been.  
  
“Oi,” he pinched him even as he smiled down. “Why did you save Bea?”   
  
“Why?”  
  
“Yeah, I mean you said you were in witness protection, you must have seen thousands of possessions over the years and you never stepped in. Why her?”  
  
The look on Gabriel’s face was undecipherable. “Her soul was singing.”  
  
“Singing?” Sam frowned. “Like what? Hymns?”  
  
“No, fuck no. She was singing these awful made-up songs to wind up Lilith,” he shook his head, grinning. “She had no control over her body so she was doing anything she can to torment her inside her own head. And after twelve years that’s pretty impressive.”   
  
“Twelve years and she didn’t just die?”  
  
“I know they needed to keep her soul that’s why Lilith never burned her out completely. But even after twelve years with that bitch in her head she was a force to be reckoned with. Her soul was singing Sam and I don’t know, I just had to push the demon out.”  
  
“But you didn’t kill her?”  
  
“I imagine that would have attracted a lot of attention what with her being the final seal and all.” He looked at Sam with amusement. “I shouldn’t have gotten involved at all but killing that skank would have been a one-way ticket to bringing Michael and Raph down and I wasn’t going to risk that.”  
  
“I’m surprised they didn’t come down anyway if you intervened.”  
  
“Nah, Bea is all Hell’s plan, Mikey had nothing to do with that.” Gabriel had gone back to swirling random patterns on Sam’s chest. “Lilith made her in the hope that when Lucifer rose and supposedly killed Michael, he’d have someone to wage war on Heaven with him seeing as she wouldn’t be there.”  
  
“So, the Greek pantheon?” Sam asked, changing tack when he could see the conversation swinging in a direction neither of them wanted.  
  
“That just made sense, she already spoke Latin and Greek.” Gabriel shrugged like it was nothing. “Plus, there would’ve been extra risk if she was hiding out in the same pantheon as I was.”  
  
“And you left her there six months.”  
  
Gabriel laughed without any hint of mockery, clear bells of pure joy that had Sam glowing in response to the sound. “She tells everyone that. I went back after a month and ran into Hades first. He said if I gave him six months, he’d have her fully established in the pantheon with access to pagan magic and a pretty strong following.”  
  
“So wait, she’s...?” he knew he must’ve been pulling a stunned face as he put the pieces together.   
  
“Yep, Queen of the dead. Persephone.”  
  
“Wow.” Sam was still trying to put the woman he met together with what he could remember of what he knew about the Goddess from lore.   
  
“You wanna go see?” Gabriel’s face was pure trouble, and it sent a shiver down his spine.  
  
“What?”  
  
“Come on I can practically hear that big nerdy brain of yours wanting all the information it can get.” his grin was bright where it was angled toward Sam. “Let’s go see some Ancient Greece.”  
  
“I can’t, we’ve been gone long enough. Dean’ll flip.”  
  
“And I told you I’ll drop you off the moment I took you, he won’t ever know! Come ooooon Samshine,” Gabriel wheedled. “Let me take you on an adventure.”  
  
Sam’s hesitation to answer seemed to be all he needed as the next second they were both covered in ancient looking robes. Gabriel grinned and raised his hand, checking Sam’s expression for a split second before clicking his fingers and the world spun around them.

****

The air was hot where they’d landed, and Sam could feel sand under his feet as he looked around himself in complete awe. Ancient Greece. Gabriel had actually brought him to _Ancient Greece_.   
  
“Woah,” he breathed. “Holy shit.”  
  
“Good isn’t it.” Gabriel was grinning. “Come on we’re going down there.” He pointed to a grand house on the hillside. “If you wanna know what’s going on round here, Dionysus is the guy to ask.”  
  
“We’re going to see Dionysus?” Sam knew his excitement was clear in his tone.  
  
“Yes, you massive nerd,” Gabriel laughed and reached up to ruffle his hair. “I had to bring my Sasquatch somewhere good, didn’t I?”  
  
Sam frowned at the nickname but there was no real negativity behind it. As they walked into the house, he saw one of the most attractive people he thought he’d ever seen. He was tall with olive skin, curly dark hair and dark green eyes which he immediately focused on Gabriel.  
  
“Loki? Your timing is appalling. You can’t be here right now,” he smirked at him. Moving his gaze past Gabriel he took his time looking Sam over. “Although your friend can stay.”   
  
“Hey, hands off Dionysus.” Gabriel laughed.   
  
“We could share.”  
  
“Not a chance,” Gabriel shook his head, his grin had taken on a bit of a ruthless edge and Sam was ashamed to say he kind of _liked_ territorial Gabe.  
  
“Must be serious, I’ve never seen you take on a consort Loki. And you always used to share with little old me.”  
  
“You said we can’t be here right now, why?” Gabriel flipped the conversation, Sam wasn’t sure whether it was to deflect from talking about him or from what Dionysus was giving away.  
  
“Zeus being all ‘no mixing of the pantheons’ **_again_**.” Dionysus waved his hand absently in their direction. “Honestly, he gets drunk with Odin on Norse mead and they suggest a ‘wife-swap’ and when Hera gets mad, we all suffer for it. It’s been one of _those_ months.” Gabriel snapped his fingers and suddenly he looked completely different.   
  
“Better? Now nobody will recognise us.”  
  
“Fine, you can stay. What brings you to Greece?”  
  
“I can’t visit my friend now?”  
  
“You normally have a reason.”  
  
“That’s fair. Odin _might_ have mentioned there’s a new Goddess around.”  
  
“Oh, of course he did.” Dionysus’ smirked curled into a grin. “Come, I have wine. This story requires a good drink.”  
  
When they were all sat around the table, Dionysus started his story. “So, we had one of our utterly decadent soirees about three weeks ago, you know how they get. Wine flowing and good music. Plenty of young nubile nymphs for me to chase, heaven on Earth. Anyway, as usual, Apollo cannot handle his drink and he got a bit handsy with this new girl none of us have ever seen. Well she slapped him with some pretty strong magic. _And then_ Demeter comes out and wiped the floor with him, tells him to stay clear of **_her daughter_**.”  
  
“What?” Sam thought Gabriel was pretty convincing with his shocked expression.  
  
“I know, nobody knew about her. So now there’s this new Goddess who is seriously powerful. She’s similar to Demeter though, Goddess of the Spring. Absolutely lovely girl, but I think Hades has taken an interest in her. I can’t wait to see how it plays out.” His grin was salacious. “And if not I’ll throw my hat in the ring.”   
  
They heard footsteps approaching, then Bea’s voice rang clear through the villa. “Dionysus! Your favourite Goddess is here and I come bearing gifts! I stole some of Hades’ wine and I’m halfway to being drunk.”  
  
“Speaking of which…” Dionysus trailed off as Bea appeared, leaning against the doorway with a vase in one hand and resting the other on her hip. “Persephone, darling,” he purred her name. “I was just talking about you.”  
  
“It’s all lies,” she turned to them both. “He’s a filthy liar don’t believe a word he says.” She turned back to Dionysus with an unsure smile. “I didn’t realise you had company Di’”   
  
“These are just some old friends.” he gestured to them. “Good people, _Greeks_. Leonidas and Sophocles.” Gabriel raised an eyebrow at the names they were given and Dionysus tipped him a sneaky wink.  
  
“A pleasure to meet you both,” She nodded in their direction. “Just call me Seph, everyone else does.”  
  
“Leo’s fine,” Gabriel smirked.   
  
“Tell me Persephone,” Dionysus lifted the vase from her hand. “Why are we stealing Hades’ alcohol when I have plenty. Wine is literally what I’m in charge of.”  
  
“I’m trying to get his attention.” Bea sat heavily in the empty chair by the table. “I’m fed up of being all ‘Hades, ravish me’ and him being **completely** clueless. I don’t think he likes me very much.”  
  
“Hades doesn’t like _anyone_ darling.” he replied, placing a glass of wine in front of her. “The fact that he’s talking to you is a shock to everyone. He likes you more than he’s liked anyone else ever.”  
  
“When I accidently blew up some of his pottery he told me he was going to ‘put me over his knee’ and when I asked if that was a promise, he **walked away**.” she insisted. Sam was awestruck he was even listening to this conversation, and laughed at the utter bizarreness of the whole thing.  
  
“You probably broke him.” Gabriel laughed.   
  
“Honestly Seph, just get naked and lie on the banks of the Styx and you know…” Dionysus wiggled his eyebrows at her in an eerie mirror of Gabriel’s go to expression. “Present yourself to him.”   
  
“I can’t do that!” Bea squealed, incensed. Gabriel and Dionysus laughed at her shocked expression.  
  
“You don’t strike me as someone who’s shy,” Gabriel teased.  
  
“Shy? No. But I can’t just _get naked._ ”  
  
“Is it always like that when you proposition him?” Sam asked from the other side of the table.  
  
“How do you mean?”  
  
“All innuendo and trying to basically brat him into it?” he clarified.  
  
“Yeah? I mean I guess so. It was his idea,” she pointed at Dionysus, who immediately winked at her.  
  
“Why not try the opposite, you’ve made it clear that you’re interested and he hasn’t gone for it. Why not take sex off the table and see how he reacts?”  
  
“Mother-“ Bea trailed off and swung her head around to look straight at Dionysus. “Why didn’t we think of that?”  
  
“Well, because you’re a fertility goddess who just has to look in Apollo’s direction and he absolutely loses his shit. And I’m essentially known for my debauchery.” He shrugged, leaning back and finishing the wine in his glass. Throwing her a smirk that was filled with lust, pride and any other adjective that made Sam see just why he was the God of hedonism. “I’m used to nymphs asking how to catch Zeus’ attention and the answer is _always_ stand there and look pretty. Why would either of us think the way into anyone’s bed was to do nothing?”  
  
Bea sat back, running her finger over her bottom lip as she was thinking. A look of pure disgust crossed her face. “Does this mean I have to be _good_ and like… do as I’m told? I’m done with being told what to do by a man.” The other three laughed loudly at that.   
  
“No, that’s not you in the slightest.” Dionysus answered. “Show him the Goddess that you are. Your Mother is one of the ‘big six’ just let him see how powerful and in charge you can be. You’re kind of epic when you go all dark side. Fear can be a potent aphrodisiac.” Her answering smirk was laced with darkness.   
  
“I knew there was a reason I liked you best.”   
  
“That’s because my immediate reaction to you wasn’t grabby hands.”   
  
“True.”  
  
“Well, we’d better leave you two to plan.” Gabriel grinned at them both indulgently. “I best get Sophocles home before they notice he’s gone.”   
  
“You’re always welcome with me brother.” Dionysus clapped him heavily on the shoulder. They shared a hug before Gabriel was leading Sam out of there and snapping them back to their own time.   
  
“So Sam-a-lam. Ancient Greece, what did you think?”   
  
“That was awesome, I just met Dionysus!” Sam said, recognising that they were standing in the motel room he’d vanished from earlier and back in his own clothes. “Thank you for that.”  
  
“Hey, you needed something good to hold onto after what my brothers and your brother did. Just keep this little mini vacation in your mind when he starts growling at you, you didn’t do anything wrong.” Gabriel invaded his personal space once more to press an affectionate kiss against his lips. “Pray if you need me.”   
  
Sam took in a deep breath when Gabriel vanished. Time to go and face Dean, try to fix this ever growing rift between them. He slung his duffel over his shoulder and stepped out of the room with purpose. Showtime.   
  



	8. 99 Problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Update Day!   
> Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas/Holidays if you celebrate it :)

They had settled into some shaky version of a truce by the time they were speeding down the road, chased by more demons than they’d ever seen in one place. Although he thought being injured was probably helping. Dean was always softer, more forgiving, when Sam was in trouble. He likes that, it’s predictable, _normal_ , behaviour that Sam can anticipate. What he’s not expecting, what’s near impossible for his brain to accept is happening, is how quickly Dean falls into line. Buying up whatever this ‘prophet’ is telling them when it’s making his instincts scream out about how _wrong_ this all is.   
  
Sure, eighteen months ago he would have lapped it all up with very little hesitation, but what he’d learned very quickly is that none of this was to be trusted. Angels were out to get them just as much as the demons plaguing this town. Maybe Leah was telling the truth about what she could see. But Sam sure as hell wasn’t buying whatever the angels were telling her. So, he called one of the two angels he actually did trust. And the only one he knew had a chance of getting through to Dean.

****

Of course, it was never that simple. Cas doesn’t show up for hours. Not until after Dylan has died and Leah has the entire town on lockdown. Cut off the cell signals, no internet, no cable. Sam’s about ninety percent sure the only reason his phone is still working is because Gabriel probably mojo-ed it with some Archangel power to make sure he could reach him whenever he wanted.   
  


And Cas is absolutely **_hammered_**.  
  


It might actually be a little bit funny if it weren’t for the utterly horrendous situation they’ve found themselves in yet again. Sam even smirks when the angel admits to drinking an entire liquor store. Sassy Cas might be his new favourite thing, even if he does think his voice is grating and that his questions are stupid. The incredulous look on Dean’s face when Cas declares he’s been on a bender is something that’s going to stick with Sam for a long time after tonight (or however long they’ve got left).   
  


****

  
The look on the Pastor’s face when they explain what they’re up against is one that’s scarily familiar to Dean. He’d never admit it out loud, nobody he’d want to admit it to honestly, but it’s the face he’s started expecting to see every time he looks in a mirror. That’s the look of a man who’s lost all hope and little by little he’s getting there. The downturn of his mouth the most obvious but it’s looking at his eyes that seals it. The darkness pinching the corners and taking the spark out when you make eye contact. That’s the real killer. ** _  
  
_**“You’re a servant of Heaven.” Cas isn’t looking much better if you ask Dean.  
  
“Yeah and you’re an angel.” The anger in the Pastor’s voice is relatable on a visceral level with the eldest Winchester. He’s long past anger, and denial, he’s firmly settled into his acceptance of the inevitable by now.  
  
“A poor example of one.” Cas is leaning his head against the wall now, Dean can see how his buzz is fading and leaning over to hangover territory.  
  
“I can’t do it, she’s my daughter.”  
  
“No she isn’t,” Dean hears himself say, even if he’s not consciously putting the words together. “She’s the thing that killed your daughter.” Dean sighs, not sure whether in defeat or relief, when the Pastor leans forward to take the stake from his hands.  
  
“We could ask Bea?” Sam suggested. “She’s got all those old books and texts, maybe there’s something in there we could use.”  
  
“Yeah? You’ve been looking for an excuse to ring her haven’t you Sammy?” Dean’s teasing fell flat on Sam and even Cas, drunk as he was, was tilting his head with barely disguised concern. Like they could hear how he was forcing himself into this laid back, easy going humour he’d had before his trip downstairs. It had both of them worried and Dean could see it clearly on both of their faces. He hated it.   
  
“She’s just a good ally to have Dean, that’s all I’m saying.” Sam said wearily, and Dean was absurdly grateful he hadn’t been dragged into a conversation about _feelings_. He wasn’t entirely sure he had the mental capacity to avoid the topic if backed into a corner.   
  
“Padre said he’d do it Sammy,” he felt compelled to point out.  
  
“And I’m just saying its good to have a back-up,” he looked over at the Pastor. “No offence Father, but you might find it a bit more difficult when you’re actually staring her down.”  
  
“None taken,” Sam thought he looked nauseated, but he didn’t voice it, merely pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. Holding the phone to his ear he saw Cas wander out of the motel room, Dean following close behind him. As he heard the phone pick up on the other end, the pastor excused himself into the bathroom.   
  
“ _Sammy! If it isn’t my favourite Winchester. What can I do for you?”_ the humour in her voice when she’d answered was infectious and he only countered with his token protest at the nickname.

“What do you know about the whore?” he skipped straight to the point.  
  
“ _Hey, buy a girl a drink before you give her a pet name,”_ he could hear her wink in her tone. “ _I’m assuming you’re talking about Babylon? Shit’s moving faster than I thought if it’s already in play. Let me guess, small town, cut off from outside influence, and it’s turning everyone against each other?”  
  
_ “Pretty much yeah. We know how to kill it but so far the only one who we can tell is a true ‘servant of heaven’ is the Pastor.” Sam started. “Just wanted to know if you knew anyone else that it might apply to?”  
  
“ _Sorry Sam, sounds like the priest is the only one with a shot here. Cassie’s falling, you and Dean are way off the reservation, what with his favourite words to Michael being ‘fuck’ and ‘off’ and you being Lulu’s chosen meatsuit.”  
  
_ “You can just say abomination everyone else does.”  
  
“ _Cassie is just rubbish with like, social cues and shit. You’re not an abomination.”_ Sam cleared his throat, feeling the argument against what she had said creeping its way up his throat. It unnerved him how fast she’d read him over the phone. He could practically hear her roll her eyes on the other end even as she let it drop. “ _Do you think the priest will do it? Stab the whore?”_  
  
“It’s taken his daughter, wandering round with her face and her voice.”  
  
“ _Ah fuck.”_ She paused for a long minute, mulling it over. “ _Is there not another priest about?”  
  
_ “Nope,” he said, popping the ‘p’. “Just the one.”  
  
“ _Balls._ ”  
  
“Yep.” There was silence on the line for well over a minute, Sam checked the phone to see if the call had dropped. Then he heard Bea curse under her breath. “Bea?”  
  
“ _Yeah, you won’t believe who I ran into at the supermarket!_ ” Her chipper tone was jarringly different to how they’d been speaking just moments ago.  
  
“What…?” Confusion cleared as his eyes widened in realisation. “Someone’s following you.”   
  
“ _Remember Cassandra’s friend from back home, you know the one with the really weird name who doesn’t understand personal space? Or the word no.”  
  
_ “Zachariah.” Sam ran his hand through his hair distracted. “What’s he doing?”  
  
“ _Just in town with his brother. They’re meeting us for dinner later. I tried to get out of it, but you know how **persistent** he can be.” _He was beginning to hear the strain in her voice as she was trying to let him know exactly what was happening without giving it away to Zachariah and whichever other angel he had with him. He could only imagine how scared she must be. _  
  
_“How close is he?” Sam was trying to formulate some sort of plan, but it was hard to think of anything with the adrenaline already pumping through his system from the total shitstorm of a day they were having. It didn’t help that he couldn’t see what was going on and all he had to go off was the piecemeal cryptic clues that Bea could relate over the call.  
  
“ _Not far, we’re going to try that new Greek place in town. The one that ‘Kee recommended?”_  
  
“You need me to call Gabriel.”  
  
“ _He’s not in town but he’s got the number, we should book a table if there’s going to be a **few of us**. You know how our **reunions** can get. And I did **marry** a socially awkward so and so.”  
  
_“Okay,” Sam paused, shoving his hair back with one hand whilst he deciphered what she was saying. “Not Gabriel but he can get Hades. And some of the others. I’m on it, try and stay somewhere public.”  
  
“ _I’ve just got to nip into the bookshop see if I can find that one we were looking for? Nowhere seems to have it. Might take a while.”  
  
_ “Keep your phone close.” Sam urged before ending the call, quickly opening his messages and firing one off to Gabriel. Bea’s in trouble, got Zachariah on her tail.  
  
He barely had to wait a minute for the reply. Where?  
  
He tapped out the response quickly, knowing that Cas and Dean were still outside but they could be back at any minute. And he couldn’t take any more of Dean’s attempt at his old humour, not when it fell so flat and they could all see how fake it was. She said the bookshop in town, I told her to stay in public. She asked to get Hades and whoever else to get her out of there.  
  
Again he waited less than a minute. On it. Thanks Sambo  
  
Let me know when you find her. He pocketed his phone and shelved his worry over what was going on with the angels for later, he had more pressing issues to deal with right now. It was perfect timing too, as everyone came back into the motel room, a grim look passing between them all. Castiel’s eyes were still hazy, but he had his shoulders set more firmly, looking more put together than he had moments before. Dean’s face was in a mockery of a smile (more of a grimace if you asked Sam) that barely reached his eyes.  
  
“Anything useful Sam?”  
  
“No,” he shook his head, giving the pastor an apologetic look. “You’re the only one who can do it Father.”  
  
“Well then,” Dean clapped his hands together, the loud crack making more than one of them flinch. “Let’s go kill ourselves a whore.”

****  
  


  
Later, Dean would question how he had expected _any_ of this to go any other away. _Of course,_ the pastor had been thrown by the whore. _Of course,_ the stake had been flung to his feet. _Of course,_ everyone else was fighting and shouting and causing such utter chaos that it fell to him to sort it out. He knew something had changed in him. Knew that everyone telling him constantly that he’d ‘lost all hope’ would come back to bite him on the ass. His mind is whirring even as he watches Sam bandage up the Pastor’s arm.   
  
“You’ll be okay,” he tells him.  
  
“No, I won’t.” Is all he gets back. And that’s the nail in the coffin for him. He’s seen how this apocalypse is tearing the world apart. Killing innocent people. Ruining lives, destroying families. And it’s killing him more than any monster could, more than his own self destruction has ever managed to. Watching Cas fall apart over an absent father, watching Sam still try and hold them all together, hold all this guilt inside him. When the truth is it’s not all Sam, hell _Dean_ broke the first seal. And if they had just managed to talk like actual brothers for once when he’d been dragged out of the pit the literal devil might not be walking free right now. He can’t cope with this. This is the sort of thing he’d tell Sam to stop doing, stop torturing himself over. But Dean’s the eldest, hell he practically _raised_ the kid. So he won't stop blaming himself, he doesn’t know how to.  
  


But he does have an idea about how he can fix at least part of it.  
  


He’s behind the wheel and halfway down the road before he feels like he can breathe.

  
****

Sam’s on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. What the hell is he supposed to do? Dean won’t answer his phone, he can’t call Cas back, can’t burden his friend with this when he’s already fragile. He starts pacing by the bed, knowing its futile but his skin itches with being stuck both literally and figuratively in this damn motel in the middle of fucking nowhere. He stopped from burning through the carpet by a flutter of wings.  
  
“Sam!” He suddenly had his arms full of Archangel and Gabriel had burrowed his head under his chin. Sam could feel his body shuddering so deeply under his hands it was practically vibrating.   
  
“Gabe? What is it? What happened?!” Concern leaking into his voice.  
  
“I can’t find her Sam,” Gabriel whispered against his neck. “I don’t know where they took her. The bookshop, when I got there, they’d burnt them all out. They killed everyone in that shop and just took Bea. I know I’ve killed people Sam but _fuck._ They were innocents in a shop, the kid working there was barely eighteen, and they just burned them out to take her. And _I don’t know why_.” Sam tightened his arms around Gabriel, he’d never seen the Archangel like this. He’d seen him desperate inside that ring of holy fire but this was different, this was almost hopeless, he was one of the second most powerful things in the universe and for him to be unable to do something must be an unnerving experience.  
  
“We’ll think of something Gabe,” he murmured against his hair. “This isn’t over, we’ll find a way.”  
  
“How?” the mirror of what Dean had asked when they got back from Heaven, but in an achingly different tone, had Sam flinching but also set his back straight. He’d find a way.   
  
“We’ll find her.” He forced a little more conviction into his voice, holding Gabriel at arm’s length until he met his gaze. “Gabriel, we **will** find her. We’re both stubborn enough.” That earned him a surprised huff of laughter.  
  
“I mean you pretty much _stalked me_ across the whole of North America over Dean,” Gabriel teased, the tension leaving his shoulders but still pinching the corners of his eyes. The sound of his brother’s name had Sam tensing all over yet again. Flitting between panic and ease had his nerves frayed and he knew it must be obvious with his body language even if Gabriel wasn’t peeking inside his mind. “Sambo?”  
  
“Dean’s gone.” He huffed out a messy exhale, anger burning away into grief. “We came across the whore. That’s why I was on the phone to Bea because it was impersonating the pastor’s daughter, and we needed a ‘true servant of heaven’ to take it out. Pastor said he’d do it but in the fight he got flung and Dean grabbed the stake and stabbed her. It shouldn’t have worked, Cas? Bea? They said it wouldn’t work for him, unless…”  
  
“Unless he started playing Heaven’s fiddle.” Gabriel finished, drawing a hand down his face. “He’s gonna do something stupid isn’t he? Like _Michael_ stupid.”  
  
“I’ve actually gone through the anxiety and come out the other side to pure dread.” Sam admitted. “I can’t get hold of him. All his phones are off. Cas can’t find him with those sigils. I’m terrified that the next time I see him, it won’t be _him_ anymore...” Gabriel stepped into his personal space and curled a hand around the back of his neck, pulling him down into a kiss gentler than he thought the Archangel capable of. He was nearly embarrassed at how fast his body reacted to it, dispelling any tension from his limbs, almost as though his soul had calmed at the contact.   
  
“Sammy,” he murmured, their faces so close they were breathing the same air. “Deano will come back. Even if he’s thinking of acting on some stupid sense of duty. He wouldn’t leave you like that. It’s ingrained in him to protect you; he would never leave without saying goodbye to you.”  
  
“You really think?” Sam could hear the hope bleeding into his voice, but he was powerless to stop it.  
  
“Hey, I took a pretty intense interest in you bozos. I think I know how you both behave pretty well,” Gabriel’s laugh was like a balm to his anxious mind. “Now can I offer you a distraction before you start beating yourself up in that enormous brain of yours?” A startled laugh burst from the hunter’s chest as he was pushed back onto the bed. Finding himself with a lapful of snarky Archangel he couldn’t find it in himself to argue as his mouth was devoured and his flannel was being slid from his shoulders. His mind going blissfully blank as he sank into the mattress, pinned under his lover.

****  
  


It took a while for Sam’s mind to get back online. He just enjoyed lying there with his arms wrapped around a bundle of heat, Gabriel’s breath coming in small puffs against his neck.   
  
“No blacking out this time?” he teased.   
  
Sam’s answering grin was languid and pure debauchery on his face. “Doesn’t mean it wasn’t fucking awesome,” he murmured, which earned him one of those laughs that made his soul light up in response.   
  
“I aim to please,” Gabriel whispered against his skin, making him shiver. “What are we going to _do_ Sam?” He hummed distractedly against Gabriel’s hair, the beginnings of an idea stirring at the back of his consciousness. It didn’t come to him like a light switch being flicked on, more like a dimmer gradually getting brighter as the idea became fully formed.  
  
“Have you tried to go a bit less ‘celestial being of colossal power’ and considered something a bit more human?” Sam asked thoughtfully, enjoying the feeling of being blanketed under Gabriel’s weight. Soft kisses being pressed from his jaw down to his chest.  
  
“Like what Sambo?” was mumbled into his chest.  
  
“Have you tried tracing her phone?”   
  
Gabriel braced himself on Sam’s chest to lift himself up and look at him square in the face. “Why didn’t I think of that?”  
  
“Like I said, ‘ _celestial being of colossal power’_.” Sam grinned at him. “You’ve probably never had to resort to something so pedestrian. Get off me, I need the laptop.” Gabriel sat against the headboard next to him as he pulled the laptop out from under the bed, a solid line of warmth against his side that he was greedy for. Forcing himself to concentrate, he pulled up the phone tracking website and keyed in Bea’s number. It took less than a minute to pull up a map reference with an address that was unfortunately familiar.  
  
“That’s the motel we died in. He took her there?” Sam turned to look at Gabriel whose jaw had tightened in anger. He could feel the anger rolling off him, his grace leaking out of his vessel.   
  
“That petty, narcissistic asshole.” he growled. “You and Dean pissed him off there by escaping him in Heaven, so he’s taking it out on her – Hell’s readymade weapon. I imagine Meg was extremely excited to tell everyone just who she’d found in that clearing.” With a distracted snap, Gabriel was fully clothed and Sam was back in his jeans and t-shirt, his flannel still slung over the back of the chair where he’d thrown it in the haze of heat and lust earlier. Gabriel frowned, brushing his hair away from his face. “I can’t decide whether to send Hades or just get her myself. He could easily take Zach but if Raph or Mikey show up it’s a bit more precarious. I don’t want them knowing I’m alive and I’m not going to fight my brothers.”  
  
“Nobody was expecting you to, you know?” Sam replied softly.  
  
“What?”   
  
“Well, maybe Dean was.” he conceded. “But I never expected you to go against either of your brothers Gabriel. If me and Dean have never been able to do it how could we expect anyone else to?”   
  
Gabriel cleared his throat and looked away, like he hadn’t thought Sam would be so understanding of his position. “I need to get Bea out of there.”  
  
“You don’t have to snap yourself into the room.” Sam thankfully allowed the shift in conversation. “Just get nearby and get a read on what’s going on.”  
  
Gabriel pressed a hard kiss against his mouth, gripping the back of his head tightly. “I knew you were the smart one.”  
  
“I clearly have all my best ideas after sex.” Sam deadpanned. Gabriel let out a surprised chuckle and kissed him again, softer. He pulled away and stood from the bed, ready to leave. “Gabe!” Sam suddenly called, lifting his phone to show him the screen. _Incoming call – Bea_. He frowned and held his hand out for the phone, pressing the answer button and setting it to speaker.  
  
“ _Hello?”_ The sound of Zachariah’s voice on the other end of the line had Sam’s eyes widening in shock even as Gabriel’s narrowed. A low, barely audible, growl reverberating through him. His hand glowed where it was holding the phone. ‘ _Warding’_ he mouthed at Sam’s raised eyebrow. He could practically see the cogs whirring in the Archangel’s head as he decided how to answer.  
  
“Tricks taxi service, need a ride?” The levity in his voice was undercut by the fury in his eyes where he met Sam’s.   
  
“ _I want to know why my… wife… was calling a taxi service.”  
  
“You fucking **wish** , you dirty bastard.” _They could hear Bea faintly in the background, rapidly followed by a grunt and a hiss.   
  
“I’m sorry sir, due to confidentiality guidelines I’m afraid I’m unable to give you that information.”  
  
“ _I don’t think that applies.”  
  
_ “We take our commitments very seriously.” That steel was slipping back into Gabriel’s tone.  
  
“ _Why was she on the phone for so long if she was ordering a taxi? And why is the phone you’re using warded? I might not know who I’m speaking with, but I know_ **you’re** _there Winchester.”_ The last part was practically hissed down the phone. There was no mistaking the sound of piercing scream in the background of the call. Sam’s eyes went impossibly wider. The phone line cut out. Gabriel threw the phone back into Sam’s waiting hand.   
  
“I’m going to get her. I’ll see you later Samshine. **Stay safe.** ” Sam felt the weight of that command burn through his very being and could only nod mutely as Gabriel vanished.  
  


****  
  


Dean drove through the night. Just hours and hours in the dark on those lonely back roads that stretched beyond where his eyes could see. He drove in silence. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins. He’d seen Sammy come running from that motel room, couldn’t bring himself to look for long or he’d have lost his nerve and stopped the car right there. He thanked a God he didn’t believe in that Cas hadn’t been there too. He definitely wouldn’t have been able to drive away from the both of them. His stomach churned with guilt and fear and anger and every other negative emotion he’d kept tamping down deep inside himself. His thoughts were rolling just as bad as his stomach.

He had to do this.  
  
He had to **_fix_** it.  
  
There was no other way out of it now.  
  
Between him and Sam they’d brought the apocalypse down on everyone else.  
  
 ** _He_** had to fix it.  
  
He’d _broken_ Cas.  
  
He was hurting Sam.  
  
He **had** to fix it.  
  
But first, he had some things that needed settling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought


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